Sherlock bounded down the steps of 221B Baker Street, finally leaving his flat after at least a week of laying around, bored out of his wits. He was driving John absolutely insane.
They had just received a call from Lestrade, asking Sherlock to come in on a case. Esctatic, Sherlock fairly lept off the couch and hurried down the steps, John in tow, shouting for him to wait one moment for god's sake.
"Mrs. Hudson, we're off. Don't wait u-..." Sherlock began to shout before he noticed something... different in the foyer of his apartment complex. His critical eye was aimed towards the floor. Dried footprints with just a hint of mud went from the door to down the hall, ending at apartment 221C, the empty flat. The shoes were much too large to be of Mrs. Hudson's foot, and the space between steps was all wrong.
"Sherlock?" John asked, following his gaze.
"Mrs. Hudson, who is in the apartment?" Sherlock called, heading down the hallway to his landlord's open door. She appeared from the kitchen.
"Oh, Sherlock, dear. It's the new girl whose moved in. Hadn't you noticed?"
"No, he's been holed up in our flat, whining about how dull the world is for the past week." John explained grumpily, and Sherlock exhaled in irritation.
"Well, she came to look at the flat around last Tuesday and has been here ever sense." Mrs. Hudson explained. "She's a very nice girl, now, Sherlock. I don't want you scaring her off."
"Would not dream of it, Mrs. Hudson." Sherlock mumbled back, and made a beeline for the closed door of 221C.
"Sherlock..." John warned, trailing after him, but he paid no mind as he knocked crisply on the door.
Footsteps were heard from beyond the door, and Sherlock waited impatiently for her to answer.
"Oh, Mrs. Hudson, I was just about to come over and - oh. Hello, I'm sorry." the woman who answered the door. Her voice was pleasant and soft.
"You must be the two I've heard so much about. I'm Calvin Baker, pleased to meet you." she cocked
"John Watson," the shorter of the two men said quickly, stepping up to shake her hand. "And this is -"
"Sherlock Holmes," the taller one interrupted. "And Calvin cannot possibly be your real name. You're obviously female. Are you possibly looking into a gender change?"
Calvin blinked, unaccustomed to such blatant speech. However, she simply cocked her head and laughed softly. "Yes, I am a female. How observant of you." she joked quietly, and although the words could have been taken as spiteful from another person, her words were gentle and had no hint of hurtful intentions.
"And it is true that Calvin is not my 'real' name, but it is, however, the name that you will address me by." she explained further, leaning against the doorframe. "And no, I am not looking into a sex change at this point in my life."
"Sorry. He does that." John apologized, glancing sideways at Sherlock. "And he also does this thing where -"
"Slight, in the way that suggests that you don't eat much. Is it because you're stressed or do not have the means to buy food? Stressed. Not a monetary issue, your clothes are brand new and stylish to today's fashion. Lack of muscle suggests that your slim build has nothing to do with exercise, just lack of nutrition. Late twenties, I'd say twenty-nine by the look of your face. Hair is not dyed, no cosmetic surgery. Minimal make up. Suggests that you are happy with your appearance, which is attractive enough to catch a man's eye but there is no ring on your finger. You live alone. Possibly your first home away from your parents. The calouses on your right hand say that you are a writer, and prefer to use pen and paper instead of computer methods. However, your wrists have the slightly inflamed look of one who has had carpal tunnel. You spend a lot of time on your computer, so you have probably submitted books to publishers. You also like to paint, as your hands have specks of paint under your nails and in your hair. The crease on your neck says that you were just wearing a smock, and took it off to greet us at the door. Your hair was also just taken out of a ponytail, and your lips have a fresh coat of shine to them. You acted as though you were expecting Mrs. Hudson, whom you've already been aquainted, but in reality you knew there were two gentlemen coming to your door and made an effort to look more presentable. You would not have done so for her."
Calvin blinked up at Sherlock, and then proceeded to chuckle at his description of her. "Well that is very impressive, Mr. Holmes." she commended, grinning. John sighed in relief. Usually, people were insulted by Sherlock's deductions of them. However, this one had been rather mild compared to others he took apart with his eyes.
"All that you've said is true, except I'm a university psychology teacher. That's why my fingers are caloused, from grading papers and writing up lesson plans on my computer." Calvin told him, though she didn't seem to be smug that he was wrong.
"Always something." Sherlock murmured, disappointed.
"Would you like some tea? I just put the kettle on. Maybe then you can tell me my whole life story, including why I call myself Calvin." she invited a bit teasingly, stepping aside to make room for them to come in.
"We have somewhere to be, Miss. Baker." John said apologetically, trying to avoid having Sherlock insult this girl. He had been lucky, and she hadn't been even irritated by Sherlock's tendencies. But there was only so much you can take from Sherlock before even the most patient people get angry with him. He wanted to at least not make her hate him today.
"Quite right." Sherlock agreed, turning and heading out the door abruptly. "Don't wait up, Mrs. Hudson!"
"Good evening, Ms. Baker." John said, giving a little wave to her. She smiled at him, returning the gesture before calling the same invite to Mrs. Hudson, who agreed to come by for tea within the hour.
Calvin was truly delighted in the people who lived upstairs. She found Sherlock very interesting. And handsome. Very handsome. Shrugging that off without another thought, she went back to her canvas.
When there were Mrs. Hudson's timid knocks on the door, Calvin once again abandoned her canvas and opened it, inviting her landlord in warmly.
"I brought a batch of cookies for you, dear. You're much too skinny." Mrs. Hudson said, placing the still-warm batch of chocolate chip on the counter. Calvin smiled gratefully, and poured them each a cup of tea.
"What kind of tea is this?" Mrs. Hudson asked after her first sip. Calvin smiled a bit sheepishly.
"It's a an exotic tea my mother sends me in the mail. She swears by it that it keeps you young. I personally just like the taste."
"If your mother's right, I'd like a lifetime supply, dear." Mrs. Hudson exclaimed, and Calvin chuckled into her cup.
"I'll give you a box to take back with you. I have plenty stored up." Calvin offered kindly, and the two were silent as they took sips and Calvin nibbled on a cookie, simply for Mrs. Hudson's sake.
"So, Miss. Baker, what did you think of the boys? Either of them catch your eye?"
Calvin smiled. "Call me Calvin. Sherlock is certainly an interesting fellow. And John's a very sweet man." she replied.
"Oh, yes. They are good boys. Sherlock's a detective and John's a doctor." Mrs, Hudson told her. "They work with Scotland Yard from time to time."
"Really? I suppose that's fitting for Sherlock. He knew me to a T before I even said anything to him."
"He does do that... to everyone, dear, don't take it personally. I just hope he wasn't too abrasive."
"No, no, not at all. I actually quite liked it." Calvin said, smiling. "It's a unique talent."
"He has his own website, you know. John writes about all their cases on it."
The conversation basically centered around Sherlock and John's career with Scotland Yard, as well as Mrs. Hudson's subtle remarks that made it seem as though she would enjoy it very much for Calvin to have a relationship with either of the boys.
Calvin laughed those off.
"Mrs. Hudson!" Sherlock's voice yelled through the complex suddenly during their conversation. Calvin looked up as he bounded into her flat with John in tow.
"Yes, dear? What is it?"
"Do you have any chicken wire that I can use?" Sherlock demanded, not even sparing a glance for Calvin.
"Yes, of course. Come along." she said, heading out the door. "Thank you very much for the tea, dear."
"Of course, Mrs. Hudson. It was a pleasure to have you here." Calvin said kindly, while Sherlock waited impatiently for Mrs. Hudson to get him the wire.
"Miss. Baker, why don't you come up for afternoon tea tomorrow?" John asked, feeling obligated to invite his new neighbor over to apologize for Sherlock's rudeness.
"John! This is no time for your sad attempts at flirting with the opposite sex! Get in here!" Sherlock called from Mrs. Hudson's flat. Calvin grinned at John.
"I'll be there." she said sweetly, standing and pouring herself the last of the tea. John noddede and trotted back to Sherlock, who was again bellowing for his friend to help him with whatever they were doing.
Looking after them curiously, Calvin took her tea and went for her laptop, sprawling herself out on her bed to surf the web.
She typed 'Sherlock Holmes' into the browser.
OoOoOoOoOo
The Next Morning
Calvin got up early, put on a pair of dark blue jeans, a blue and white button-down, and a black peacoat and left her dark brown hair down for the day. She needed to go out and get some more ink for her printer. She had to print the Class Expectations and Syllabus for her first class of the fall semester, which started next week.
It was the end of summer, but the air was already cooling down significantly and it had rained the day before. It was dry today, but cooler.
As she locked her flat, she noticed that John and Sherlock were just coming in. She cocked her head, it was very early and they had already left and come back?
"Good morning, Mr. Holmes, Mr. Watson." she said pleasantly, heading for the door.
"'Morning." Sherlock answered dismissively, passing her. John, however, waited.
"Good morning, Miss. Baker. Still coming up for tea later?" he asked, smiling at her. Calvin nodded.
"Of course. What time would you like me to come up, then?"
"Twelve? Will you be back from your errand by then?"
"Sounds fabulous. I'll be there." Calvin confirmed with a smile. John nodded, following Sherlock as Calvin turned to leave.
"Oh! I almost forgot. I looked you two up last night." she said, blatantly disregarding the fact that it was considered somewhat creepy to search for people on the internet.
"Oh?" Sherlock said, pausing at the top of the stairs. "And what did you find?"
"Your website. Which was fascinating. I did enjoy reading about the two-hundred and forty three types of tobacco ash. But I was very impressed with your writing, Mr. Watson." she praised smiling up at him on the steps. "Have you ever considered being a writer?"
"Uh, well, thank you." John said, flustered.
"Really, it's quite good. You should write them as novels and sell them. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, perhaps." she told him with a smile. She glanced up at Sherlock as well, who had a blank look on his face.
"And you are very impressive as well, Mr. Holmes, although I believe that you already know that." Calvin said, turning to leave. "I'll see you gentlemen in a few hours."
With that, she stepped out into the street and hailed a cab to take her shopping.
OoOoOoOoOoO
Helllurrrr everyone.
I really have a headache right now but let me know how you like my first chapter of this new story of mine. I know, I know, I need to do Avenge the Love and the sequel to Circuit Breaker and update Heroic Couplet and Law and Disorder. But I promise, every single one of those (including this) will get at LEASTone update a week. Probably more, never less. It's summer and I need to write a shitton of stuff.
Okay let me know what you think. Yes, it's boring and Calvin's kinda blah right now but I have so much in store for her that it's scary and I'm really excited.
Just wait til we get to the twist. Muahahahahaha. It'll ruin your life.
ANYWAY. Please remember to review and give me insight, as well as check out anything else I've written and send me fanmail and fun things. Okay I'm done being annoying. Ciao!
Love you all!
Jess
