Jonathon walked along side his father as they approached 221b Baker Street. He was dressed in his finest clothes and he wore his top hat, a scowl on his face.
"Smile boy." Jeffery Verellen said as they turned and made their way up the stone stairs towards the door.
"I hate having to dress like this, I work best in warehouses or on the ships." Jonathon said as he removed his hat and shook out his dark brown, almost black hair.
"Put that hat back on, you need to impress your boss." Jeffery said as he rapped his fist against the wooden door.
"Why couldn't you just let me work for Captain Crain? I would have made enough money."
"Cause you're meant for better things boy, now put on your hat!"
Jonathon obeyed and quickly returned his hat to his head as the door opened. A tall elderly woman stood in the doorway. She was dressed in a fine dark blue gown with a lace apron. Her graying hair was pulled up into a tight bun.
"Hello Ma'am. My name is Jeffery Verellen and this is my son Jonathon. We have an appointment with Mr. Holmes."
"Right, please come in."
The women stepped back to allow them entry. They removed their hats as the stepped in and allowed her to close the door.
"Right this way." She said as she lead them up a wooden staircase.
Jonathon rolled his eyes as he fell in to step behind his father. At the top of the landing the women stopped. Jonathon watched as she nervously rapped on the door.
"Mr. Holmes, you have visitors."
She was answered by the sound of a loud gunshot and she immediately jumped away from the door. Jonathon stifled a laugh as a young brown haired man with a thin mustache appeared from the double white doors that were beside the one in which the gunshot had sound from.
"I won't go in there, not while he's got a gun in his hand." The women said to the sophisticated looking man.
"It's alright, you don't have to." The man stepped by the women and banged his fist against the door.
"Holmes!"
Another gunshot sounded.
"Are you sure you want to leave me in a place like this, doesn't the grungy ports of the Thames look good right about now?" Jonathon whispered in a sarcastic tone.
His father glared at him from over his shoulder.
Jonathon stifled another laugh as the man pushed open the door.
"Permission to enter the armory." The man said as he pushed to door open even further and signaled for the two of them to follow him.
Jeffery nodded to the man as he walked into the room and Jonathon did the same. Inside the room was dark and dusty. Jonathon smiled as it reminded him of the lower storage decks or a ship or the grungy warehouses.
"Maybe you should bring us up some tea." The man said to the women before he shut the door.
"Hello, my name is Dr. John Watson." The man said as he extended his hand.
"Jeffery Verellen, and this is my son Jonathon." Jeffery said as he shook Watson's hand.
"Hello Jonathon."
"Sir" Jonathon said as he shook Watson's hand as well.
"Nice to see that you are all acquainted, but why is it that you are all in my room?" A cold voice asked from the darkness.
Jonathon looked in the direction to which the voice had come and he spotted the silhouette of a man holding which looked like an 1849 Ordnance pistol of the French navy. Jonathon raised his eyebrows and let out a small whistle. Everyone looked at him.
"Sorry, it's just that, I've never known anyone to own an Ordnance pistol before."
"What are you…" Jeffery began but he was cut off by the cold voice which now had a tinge of interest in it.
"You can tell the type of pistol that I am holding in the darkness of this room?"
"Yes sir. And by the way you're holding, I say that your bored with your life and that you don't intend to hurt anyone, you just intend to amuse yourself. "
"How observant of you." The voice said as the man put down the pistol and stood up.
Muffled steps sounded in the room as the man walked towards them and came into view from the light of the door. His black hair was set in messy curls upon his head and he had the beginning of a beard along his cheeks and chin. His dark drown eyes scooped over Jonathon with a look of intensity as he observed every inch of him.
"Hello, my name is Sherlock Holmes." Sherlock said as he clasped his hands behind his back.
"Well Mister Holmes, I'm Jeffery Verellen, we talked at the court house the other day. I've brought my son Jonathon to apprentice under you." Jeffery said as he fidgeted with his hat.
"Mr. Verellen, you really need to work on your appearance a lot more. You may dress like the rich, but you no where act like it. By the way your acting, I'd say that you work as a supervisor for brick layers or ship construction. You only make a fair wage a year, and you are stressed because you want your family to rise up in the world. Which is why when you noticed that your son has eyes for details you brought him to me, hoping that he would become as famous as myself. Yet what you don't realize is that your son is happy with his life and he likes the familiarity of the Thames. I can tell because his expression shows that he does not want to be here and he has the odor of the warehouses and the smell of the river on him." Holmes said as he walked past them and slowly pulled back a black and heavy curtain.
A storm of dust kicked up around him as he stood silhouetted by the light of the day.
"So the real question is Mr. Verellen, why did you bring him when he does not wish to be here?"
"I brought him here because he deserves better, now if you don't take him, then he can fend for himself out on the streets!" Jeffery said as he glared at Holmes.
"Well what you do with your son is no concern of mine. But I will not take him unless he wishes to be taken."
Jonathon starred at Holmes for a long moment. His mind spinning, why was he fighting his father?
"Well then boy, the decision is yours, but I for one am leaving. And boy, don't bother coming back home if you chose to leave Mister Holmes, because you will not be welcomed."
With that Jeffery stormed out of the room. Jonathon listened to his father's footsteps as the made there way down the stairs and out the door. The click of the door closing rang in Jonathon's ears. What was he to do, stay and apprentice under Holmes, or return to the place that he loved, with no where to go?
"Well if you ask me, he wasn't much of a father." Holmes said as he walked away from the window and stopped a few feet away from Jonathon.
"Tea." The elderly women's voice said as she entered the room and set a silver tray down on desk in which was covered in papers.
"You could have possibly just wrecked my greatest discovery, how many time have I told you that the tea tray must always go on this stake of books, therefore it will not upset the balance of the room." Holmes said as he grabbed the tray and slammed it down on a very unsteady tower of books.
"Holmes, forget about the balance of the room, we do not need anymore mess in this room." Watson said as he removed the tray from the books and set it back down on the table.
"Watson, what are you doing, it must always go on the books!"
"It's fine on the table."
Jonathon stepped aside and allowed the women to exit as he watched the two men fight over the tea tray. After a few minutes of arguing Holmes through his hands up.
"Fine, upset the balance of the earth, send us all to hell, see if I care."
"Oh Holmes, would you sop with the dramatics, and drink you tea." Watson said as he poured the warm liquid into a cup.
"I'd rather not." Holmes said.
"Sugar?"
"A sprinkle."
"Milk?"
"A few drops."
Jonathon chuckled as Holmes accepted the cup and saucer.
"So what are you going to do? Return to the warehouses or stay with me?" Holmes asked as he sipped his tea.
Jonathon looked at Holmes and then down at the floor. What was he going to do? If he stayed with Holmes he'd be miserable. He'd hate living on the rich side of things, having the police constantly coming and going. If he went back to the warehouses, he'd love the smell of the river and the fun of being the other workers. And if he returned to the river he'd be able to go out to sea with Captain Crain. Sighing Jonathon looked back up and meet the on looking eyes of Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson.
"I think that I would rather return to the piers."
"Is that what you really want?" Dr. Watson asked.
"Yes, sir, it is."
"Well you can't stop a man once he's made up his." Holmes said as he set the saucer and cup back down on the tray.
"Well I refuse to let him go with out giving him a place to stay, so Jonathon, you are welcome to one of the empty rooms of the house." Watson said as he took his last sip of tea and returned the saucer and cup to the tray as well.
"Thank you sir, but I'd rather not be a burden."
"Oh no, you wouldn't be a burden at all."
"If your sure, but I might be heading out to sea, so I will return back here only if I do not get hired on the ship."
"Sounds like a fair deal to me."
"Alright, thank you sirs for your time. Dr. Watson, Mr. Holmes."
With that Jonathon took his leave. He made his way down stairs and out the door. He whistled to himself as he made his way back towards the piers, and to Captain Crain.