Hi there, been a long while since I wrote this as a prologue for my sherlock/clara fic which i never started but I figure I'd post this one at least... If you read carefully I seem to have added some johnlock there accidentally... Can't help it lol... Hope you like it


"Uh, hello!" an early bird chirped at the door of 221B Baker street. This bird wasn't just any bird of course, but went by the name Clara Oswald, or just Clara.

Her enthusiasm wasn't however quite appreciated as the person standing inside was not accustomed to waking up at 05:00 in the morning and being greeted by his sisters... Well, ex.

"Good morning. Can I help you?" he yawned, and made certainly clear he did not want to help her.

"Well, it doesn't seem to be a very good morning does it. Can I come in?" she asked with puppy eyes, and was allowed passage.

"Harry isn't here is she?" Clara whispered carefully to her ex-wife's brother's ear,

"No, she didn't come back last night, but she'll turn up—eventually. You know how she is."

"Boy do I." Clara muttered as a comment and earned a raised eyebrow from John. Yes, John Watson was his name if that hadn't been quite clear yet.

"Some tea?" he asked and she nodded, looking around the place. It could be seen who lived here. Harry's bottles here and there. John's cans around and about. This was now the Watson paradise. She chuckled at her own joke while bouncing a union flag pillow up and down.

"No, no. Don't touch that!" John yelled and instantly the pillow was secure in his private embrace.

"Hard break up? I've had those—my ex partner wasn't very good at it either." Clara asked, and even if she did show of as that way, she was in no way a bitch—at all. She was just a bit bickerish, and after all, it was only 05:04 in the morning, and the rain had caught her good when she first walked out—oh yes, in case you were wondering. Very clearly. It had rained all along, from the knock on the door to invite in and before—Clara shifted her right leg over the left and took out her quite new Iphone, and tweeted. Not very long ago she hadn't known a thing about computers or twitters or anything, but then something happened, and here she was, tweeting like a professional.

"Break up? Oh the pillow, it's—" "—oh not a break up, long time one sided love death?" Clara guessed,

"NO! And yes—my good friend died a few weeks back, you might have noticed, it was allover the news: fall of Sherlock Holmes." John muttered, eyes looking somewhere not at all present.

"I'm so sorry. Really." Clara touched his hand and they connected for just a second, Clara knew what it was like to lose someone you loved... It took so long to get over her mother's—

"So why are you here, and this early?" John yawned, handing her a cup of Earl Grey.

"You two aren't secretly back together are you?" John asked, and her eyes widened, "nonononono, no. I mean, now that I think about it, the better looking Watson sibling was single all this time." she winked at him.

"In all seriousness tho'. She owns me money." she blurted "I'm sorry, I wouldn't, I mean she does, but she is what she is and I am what I am. You know when someone looks a' you like, you aren't being serious. And you try to be serious, really serious, like now, and then you start doing this and well. Things aren't going too well anymore, I really need the money, and she owns me huge, I have a contract and everythin'—somewhere—here—aha! There you go." she handed the handwritten piece of paper, with Harry's sign on it.

"See?" But John didn't see. He only saw what was printed there, the amount of zeroes after the 10, and for a second Clara and him both thought he'd faint.

"100 000£? How? Oh **** she didn't. We're going to lose the house—Sherlock's— No money for rent. Bye bye house, maybe I could ask Mrs. Hudson — no I can't. Why did I ever let Harry move in?" John groaned, close to tears.

"I wonder that too. But, you know—you don' have to pay all now. I understand it is hard but debt is a debt, I won't take more than you can afford to lose at once, don't cry hedgehog boy." Clara patted his arm and earned a furious look from him

"She did not tell you that ancient nickname!" he muttered, "Sorry, she did. Very cute suits y'well" she joked, but went back to being serious again, "I'm sorry. I am. If I wasn't in trouble, I wouldn't ever have come John." she commented and earned a nod.

"I can give you her savings in cash, most of it is really mine anyway, but that's everything.." John answered trailing off, worried about Harry's reaction when he told he had payed some of the debt without consulting her first, but the devil never managed to get herself out of trouble alone and John had always like Clara even if he wasn't supposed to anymore. He tread his way to his old friend's room, which was now occupied by Harry and took her money from under the mattress without a second thought, giving it to Clara, not daring to look her in the eye When he took out his gun (granted it didn't have any bullets, but it was the thought that counted) John wanted Clara out, she had brought her more troubles on top of his older ones. He didn't want to see her face again,

"Here you go. I'm sorry to say that I would rather be alone right now, go before I load my gun." John nudged her to her way with the 50 000£ he had managed to pull off, not waiting to say goodbye before slamming the door on her face and leaning against it close to tears once again. Why did he always mess with Harry's problems, it never did any good to him. as if the fact that his friend had committed suicide wasn't enough — someone somewhere seemed to hate John Watson

So there on the street was Clara Oswald. Left quite stunned, a door slammed on her face and more money that she had seen in a long while at hands, in a plastic bag—a cheep plastic bag, for that matter.

She had met John twice before, but he had never acted so odd before. Ever. Of course that would not ruin her day as she finally had means to survive without a job for a damn good while, not that she would — she had a nice position in a local school waiting for her and she intended on taking it. her odd doctor couldn't be relied on anymore, he was coming and going all the time.

She was almost glad Harry had lent all that money from her once upon a time; the apartment they bought "together" on Clara's money. All those drinks and loans and bills and everything. If Harry had never loaned from her, Clara would be in a hell load of trouble now, the money she now had would have otherwise been spent ages ago...

She cleared her mind and ordered a cab she could actually pay to for once, destination: anywhere.


I beg you to R&R, pretty pretty please with a TARDIS on top.