Ella Lannister woke up with the sun shining in her face. She heard the birds chirping on this beautiful spring day. A quiet knock came on her door, and she heard it open. Ella looked to see Shae, her uncle's lover, open the door. "Good morning, princess," Shae smiled.
"Good morning, Shae." Ella yawned and stretched like a cat. She then sat on her bed and gave a dreamy sigh. "Oh Shae, I had such a wonderful dream."
"Oh? What was it about?"
"I dreamt that I finally left this place, and I went off to a beautiful castle far in the forest."
"Did you have a prince charming in your dream?"
"No, just a grand castle where I could live my own life, where the name Lannister doesn't matter to anyone."
"Well, you'll have to go to a far off place to find that." The two ladies laughed and Ella prepared her shower. "You must be excited to move out today."
"I am. Though I'll miss you, grandfather, and Uncle Tyrion. I'll be one step closer to living my own life."
"You won't miss your Aunt Circei?"
"No." The two ladies shared another laugh and Shae opened the curtains widely to let the sun soak through.
"Your grandfather has already prepared your things to be moved out," Shae spoke.
"Grandfather?! How did he know I was moving?"
"Are you really surprised he found out?"
"No, I suppose not." Ella was the most precious thing to Tywin Lannister, especially after the death of his first son, Jaime. After finishing her shower, she dressed up to prepare for her big day. Both ladies went downstairs and she already saw the moving truck in front of their home. There was Ella's grandfather with his usual pose : straight back, standing tall and proud, hands behind his back, barking orders and commands. "Grandfather!"
Tywin Lannister turned around and his scorn quickly faded into the faintest smile that only Ella could see. "You're late," he spoke.
"Yes, and I apologize, grandfather." Ella skipped down the stairs and gave her grandfather a kiss. "I don't think all of my belongings can fit into my new apartment."
"Apartment? I thought it was a loft you chose."
"No, I decided to take a home closer to work."
"And just how close is your work to your home?" Tywin put his attention back to the men moving Ella's belongings, making sure nothing was damaged and everything was running smoothly.
"It's right below where I live." Tywin looked back at his granddaughter.
"I never can understand you, child." Ella smiled and helped the men move her own belongings. Tywin wanted to shout at her for breaking a sweat when he was already paying these men to move, but he knew Ella wouldn't listen. She was as stubborn as he was, and he knew how stubborn a man he was himself.
"The little dove is finally flying away from her home." Ella stopped and looked to see her favorite uncle, Tyrion, standing there with a champagne glass full in his hand.
"I've been waiting for this day for so long, uncle," Ella smiled and hopped to his side. "Will you come to see my apartment?"
"I think next time would be better, darling. Father will accompany you today."
"Yes, but you can join too, Uncle. You and grandfather should really try to mend-"
"We should try, but who knows if we will." Ella nodded and knew to let that topic go. Everything was ready for move-in, and Ella bid everyone goodbye. The truck followed the Lannister's car to 221C Baker Street, and Ella looked at her grandfather to see his reaction to her new apartment. As guessed, he was appalled by the location. It looked like a scrunched up apartment from the outside, and he shuddered at how it looked on the inside.
"Speedy's Bakery and Cafe," he said to himself. "This is where you work?"
"Yes, grandfather. Come on, I'll show you the apartment." Ella hopped out of the Jaguar and opened the door for her grandfather. She linked arms with him and they walked up the porch to the front door. She knocked on the door and a lively woman opened it. "Mrs. Hudson!"
"Ah, so good to see you again, Ella, dear."
"This is my grandfather, Sir Tywin Lannister."
"O-Oh," Mrs. Hudson seemed shaken and she wiped her hands on her dress. "It's so good to meet you, Sir Lannister." Mrs. Hudson put her hand out for a handshake, but Tywin just looked at Mrs. Hudson's hand as if he were analyzing a specimen. Mrs. Hudson withdrew her hand, and Ella nudged her grandfather gently. The man looked at his grandfather without changing a muscle in his face.
"I'm just going to show my grandfather my apartment," Ella said to Mrs. Hudson.
"Ah, yes, yes, the apartment. If you need anything deary, just give me a shout."
"I will. Thank you, Mrs. Hudson." Ella, still linking arms with her grandfather, led him up the stairs to her apartment on the 3rd floor. She opened the door and it was as bad as Tywin imagined.
"Good god," Tywin grumbled angrily seeing the place.
"It's not as bad as it looks, grandfather. Look, I have a kitchen there with everything I need. My bedroom is there, and I have a good view of the neighborhood. And-"
"Stop trying to justify this place to me." Ella looked at her grandfather, and he had the normal scowl on his face. "Does this place satisfy you?"
"Yes, it does," Ella nodded.
"Then...I suppose I am happy for you."
"Thank you, grandfather. I know you don't approve, but I need to do things on my own now. I'll be happy here, and I'll be sure to visit you every Sunday."
"Every Sunday? Is that all?" Ella looked at her grandfather standing tall with that scowl, his hands behind his back. She smiled and he faintly smirked. "You will visit me every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday right after work. Am I understood?"
"Yes, grandfather."
"Good. Now, let's get those workers to move your belongings up here."
Ariel Stark was eating her breakfast at the precinct, watching the news on TV. She noticed Lestrade walking in looking as tired as ever, and she dropped everything. Ariel ran to Lestrade's side and said, "Inspector, so we gained a lead on the family homicide case. Now, the father claims that he wasn't there that night because he was at a business meeting. He said they met at a hotel named-"
"Not now, Ariel. I just need to...gather myself first."
"Did you drink last night, inspector?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"Well, you have terrible dark circles around your eyes so I'm assuming you either had trouble sleeping or slept very late. It's obviously the latter because you also do smell terribly of ale and cigarettes. Did you meet with Mr. Holmes last night, inspector?"
"Is it that obvious?" Ariel laughed and Lestrade felt too weak to laugh.
"When do you think Mr. Holmes will arrive? I can't wait to tell him what I fount out about our new lead."
"You always press your luck with him, don't you, Ariel?"
"Just one day, I wish he would say, 'Good job, Ariel. You did a fantastic job.'"
"Why do you care if it's from him?"
"Because I'm the best consulting detective there is," Sherlock Holmes spoke as he entered Lestrade's office. He was wearing his usual attire : long black coat, black gloves, and a scarf.
"You're the only consulting detective there is," Lestrade mumbled.
"Mr. Holmes! Oh, I can't wait to tell you-"
"That you found a new lead, Connor Graham, in the family homicide case?" Sherlock finished as he took his gloves off. He didn't even look at Ariel once.
"Y-Yes, h-how-"
"You still come to ask how I know when you've known me this long, Miss Stark?"
"Please, you can just call me Ariel," she blushed lightly. Sherlock glanced at Ariel and saw her smiling.
"Ariel," he said with his deep charming voice. It made Ariel swoon, and Sherlock smiled to himself seeing the effect he had on this red-head beauty. He nodded and shooed her out of Lestrade's office with his hand gesture. Ariel got the message and quietly left Lestrade's office.
"I don't understand," Lestrade said watching Ariel sit back at her desk. "How is it that she is so infatuated by you?"
"If you haven't noticed, Lestrade, I do have a way with the women."
"Clearly," Lestrade spoke sarcastically. "So, why are you here? You have no interest in the family homicide case, and I didn't call you."
"Someone is moving upstairs of my apartment and they're making an awful ruckus. I can't think at my home."
"So you decided to come to my office? Why don't you go somewhere else to think, like the library?"
"Oh, you know I despise the library, what with everyone's thinking going on in there. It's too loud."
"And the precinct isn't?" Sherlock didn't answer and Lestrade rolled his eyes. A phone came to Lestrade, and he had to leave for another case. Lestrade put on his coat and looked at Sherlock who was sitting back on his chair, feet on the table, fingertips aligned together, eyes closed. "Sherlock!"
"Yes, yes, go ahead. I'll watch over your office while you're gone."
"Sherlock, you need to go. I can't just leave you in here alone."
"Do you think I'll break your office down while you're gone? I am just here to think."
"Sherlock. You need to go." Sherlock opened one eye and saw Lestrade was serious. He groaned loudly, upset at Lestrade. Sherlock put on his black coat once again and wrapped his scarf around. He took a cab back to his apartment and was disappointed to see that the upstairs neighbor was still moving in their things.
"Do you have to go now, grandfather?" Ella asked with her arms linked with her grandfather's arms, walking down the stairs towards the street.
"Those bloody fools can't get a single thing done without my presence," Tywin cursed at the people he worked with in the government.
"You're talking about Aunt Circei, grandfather," Ella chuckled lightly.
"I know." Ella laughed and the two stepped out of the apartment complex. Sherlock stood there on the street, watching this young blonde with hair up to her shoulders walking out Tywin Lannister. But his eyes weren't on one of the most powerful men in Britain walking out of his apartment complex. It was the beauty linking arms with him. Sherlock just stood there looking like a fool, watching the beautiful girl walking her grandfather back to his car. Her smile was so perplexing, and Sherlock couldn't take his eyes off of her.
Tywin Lannister saw the tall man with curly black hair staring at his granddaughter like a lion looking at its prey, drooling with lust and hunger. Tywin glared at the man, but the man looked right through him to his granddaughter. "Goodbye, grandfather. I'll visit you tomorrow after work," Ella said, snapping her grandfather's attention back to her.
"Yes, yes you shall. Goodbye, little dove. I love you very much."
"I love you too, grandfather." Ella kissed her grandfather goodbye and watched his car driving off. Sherlock watched Ella on the street from his window view in his apartment. Still he couldn't keep his eyes off of the beauty. He watched her gracefully walking back into the apartment, and he heard her footsteps going up the stairs. He quickly jumped onto the couch, legs up to his chest and ears perked for every movement. He heard her footsteps fainting away, knowing she passed by his apartment. He didn't dare try to catch another glimpse of the beauty, fearing he'd be completely under her spell.