Sherlock and John were walking home from the police headquarters, when a girl, no more than 18, walks straight up to Sherlock and smacks him across the face.
"What the hell?" Asks John.
Sherlock just stands there with his face still. The girl turns around and begins to walk away when Sherlock grabs her wrist.
"Who are you?" No questions about why she smacked him or where is she going just, "Who are you?"
The girl looks straight into Sherlock's eyes and replies,
"Wouldn't you like to know."
John walks into the kitchen to make tea for himself, Sherlock and the mysterious girl. Muttering to himself, John replays the previous moments in his head.
-Flashback-
"Yes I would like to know." Sherlock stares down at the girl.
"For now I suppose you could call me Eponine, or Hailey, or hell you could call me Marie. Your choice."
"Why won't you tell me your actual name?"
"How do you know that none of those are my real name?" Eponine/Hailey/Marie cocks her head to one side.
"The tone of your voice tells me you're being sarcastic. Hailey is the name of the sandwich shop you just passed a street ago. Eponine is the name of the Goddess in the book your holding n your left hand and Marie is the name of the shop assistant currently staring at us. You used the name of things you observed to distract me from your real name. Tell me."
"Your reputation exceeds you Sherlock Holmes, you truly are an amazing observer but yet I still have no intention of telling you my name. If you have to call me something, call me Eponine. Eponine is a beautiful name so I'll keep it around you. Now you're not getting what you want from me so I'll take my leave." Eponine yanks her hand away from Sherlock's grasp and begins to walk away.
"Oh no you don't." Sherlock rushes after her, picks her up on his shoulders and takes her inside.
"C'mon John!"
-End of Flashback-
John takes the three now ready cups of tea back into the living room. Eponine is sitting in Sherlocks spot on the couch and Sherlock is standing by the window.
"The tea is ready you two." John announces, hoping to break the awkward silence in the room.
"Thank you John." Eponine takes a sip from her cup and smiles. "Very good, thanks again. At least one of you is polite." Eponine stares pointedly at Sherlock.
"Sherlock, why did you bring her back with us?"
So much for politeness. Eponine thinks.
Finally Sherlock looks away from the window and straight at Eponine.
"I'm concerned."
"About what?" John looks a Eponine and back at Sherlock, "What could possibly make you concerned about a 20 year old girl?"
Eponine glares at John, "I'm 18 I'll have you know!" Eponine is sensitive about her age. Because of her tall stature, most people assume she is older then she is. Eponine hates the word, assume. Her father taught her that "When you assume you make an ass out of you and me". She stands by that piece of advice her father gave her.
"Excuse me for my assumption, I didn't mean to insult you." John looked sincerely sorry but Eponine was still a little annoyed.
"Haven't you ever heard the expression, 'When you assume you make an ass out of you and me'?"
"Sorry, I haven't. But now I have." Sherlock smirked at that comment.
"Alright, out with it Mr. Sherlock Holmes, what are you concerned about me for?" Eponine looked up at the consulting detective.
"I can't deduce anything about you." Sherlock looked away.
"That's not a surprise. I tried my hardest to make sure you couldn't." Eponine looked smugly at him.
"Why would you do that? And a better question, why smack me?" Sherlock hated being toyed with and this girl was playing him like video game.
"To answer your first question, because my brother told me too, and to answer your second question, because you walked with such arrogance I couldn't stand it." John laughed at that.
"Haha, it's about time somebody saw you the same way I do Sherlock. An Arrogant Bastard." Sherlock looked like he just got slapped again.
"I am not arrogant!"
"Yes you so are!" Both John and Eponine said at the same time.
"Anyway, I have an appointment I can't miss so as much fun as it has been to smack you and meet you both, I have to run." Before the two men could say anything Eponine was out of the window and away.
"I think I like her." Says John.
"What about Sarah?" Sherlock raises his eyebrows.
"I don't like her like that, I just mean that she's is pretty cool for an 18 year old."
"I can't but agree, John. Now to follow her." Sherlock wrapped his navy blue scarf around his neck and walked down and out to the brisk summer evening air of London.
"Wait! Sherlock, why are we going to follow her? That's like stalking!"
"Because she distinctly told us to." Sherlock states as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.
"Not obvious to me." John looks at Sherlock, waiting for an explanation.
"She didn't say good-bye. A polite girl like her would say good bye if she was leaving us without the intention to see us again very soon." With that Sherlock took off running down Baker Street with John close in tow.