A/N: Hello! I'm very happy you're reading this! This is my first Sherlock story so I'm hoping I'm doing okay, I'd really appreciate you letting me know how I'm doing, through review or private message either. Also I'd like to thank my friend ObsessedMuchxx (Mia) for helping me she really is amazing and if you like supernatural go read her stories she's brilliant x
So without further delay, I really hope you enjoy this x
Flora Watson knocked on the black door of 221 Baker Street. She pushed her gold hair away from her face, and clutched her oversized grey coat tighter around her. Winter had begun falling in early October, and it was already getting significantly colder.
She could hear voices shouting inside the building, and when the door opened, a tall, curious man stood in the door way. He looked at her for only seconds, before shouting up the stairs behind him, "John! It's for you!"
Flora's furrowed her eyebrows. How the hell did he know she'd be here for John? She was certain she'd never met this man before. He had dark curly hair, with sharp brown eyes and pointy features. A blue dressing gown was pulled around his tall, slim frame, and he seemed unfazed by the girl standing before him.
There was a short reply from upstairs. "Who is it?" the voice called. Flora recognised the voice immediately as her uncle John even though it had been a long time since she had last seen him.
The curly haired man scoffed and rolled his eyes. He pulled her inside and closed the door quietly and looked down at her once again.
Her hair was the same shade and John's, and her eyes were the same caring shade. But, again like John's, they were dulled by the things she had seen. Sherlock thought for only seconds before he knew exactly who the girl was. It was obvious, really. She had the same colouring, eyes and hair colour to John. But John didn't have any children, and the nearest family he had was a sister. The girl was too young to be the sister in question, leaving only two options: a cousin or a niece. Sherlock had to glance at her again before knowing a cousin probably would have a deeper gene pool, and therefore look less like John. This girl could be his own daughter, so Sherlock had to pin the girl as his niece.
Looking at her again, he also was drawn to her eyes, but not the colour. The deep purple bruise that surrounded the eye looked nasty and she had a deep cut on her left cheek. Her arms were crossed defensively around her body, and she looked up at Sherlock, nervously.
"You best go upstairs," Sherlock said attempting to stay unattached. "Your uncle will be waiting."
Flora turned again, her eyes showing a mixture of fear, awe and astonishment.
John Watson wasn't watching when his niece and his roommate walked into the room. As he turned, the sight of his niece took his breath away.
She would be twenty-one now. Almost four years since he had seen her. She was young then, with long flowing hair and blushing skin. Now she was pale, her face beaten and dirty.
John instinctively rushed to hold her in his arms but she quickly pushed him away.
"Flora? Where the hell have you been for the last four years?"
They both heard Sherlock sigh as he sat on the sofa, both the Watsons in the room turned and gave him a glare.
Flora shrugged. "Here and there,"
John rubbed his head. "Here and there! You mother has been worried sick!"
Flora rolled her eyes. "Is that what she told you?"
"What do you mean?" John asked, his eyes darting from Flora to Sherlock.
Sherlock jumped up hearing his cue. "Well isn't it obvious?"
Both the Watsons once again gave him a glare.
"The bruises on her face suggest that she was in some sort of fight. Judging by the size of the bruise it was a man's hit, not a woman. The cut suggests she fought back and hurt herself in the process. The size of her coat shows that it is clearly a man's coat, and it also shows she left in a hurry. Put all this together we can deduce that she was living with a man for the past four years, as he became violent probably only today looking at the bruise. He was a man that her mother and your sister obviously didn't approve of. Kids being kids, she moved out anyway, moving in with the man living in London. When things goes wrong she comes to the nearest family member at hand: You John Watson, her uncle."
Flora's jaw dropped. "How the heck did you?"
The edges of Sherlock's mouth turned up. "I was right, then, yes?"
Flora nodded her eyes meeting with her uncle. "I could've done something…" John said all his sympathy poured into the sentence.
Flora snorted "I wasn't unhappy! In fact it was perfect, things were great."
"He hit you."
"He was drunk! And I told him I was leaving him; he had a right to be angry."
Sherlock raised another eyebrow. "If you were happy, why were you leaving him?"
"Well I wasn't happy then! But for three and a half years I was happy!"
John shook his head. "Then what are you here for?"
"…I need money."
John laughed slightly before realising she was serious. "Wait…what?"
"I have to go home."
"Don't you have any friends here in London? Near you work?" John paused after his sentence; he didn't even know if his niece had a job.
"I don't have a job. Or any friends. Both came from Greg, my boyfriend."
John watched Sherlock's eyes narrow and he could almost hear his brain thinking. It was very suspicious: a girl with no friends… no job… turning up on their doorstep.
"What job did you have?" John asked, trying not to sound condescending.
Flora raised her eyebrows. "I worked in a shop! For God's sake! Did you think I was a stripper?"
Sherlock shook his head. "Of course not. You're far too short to be a stripper."
John shot a glare at his friend.
Flora didn't know whether to be offended, or complimented by the curly haired man's comments.
"John, please, I have no money. I just need enough to get me home."
"Flora I'm sorry, I can't give you that money I need it."
Flora knew he didn't mean anything by it, she didn't know what she had expected John to do, but she felt accused. Like he thought she was some kind of druggy. Flora turned for the stairs; feeling rejected, only to find a short, red headed older lady in her way.
She held brown paper bags of food and she smiled at Flora kindly. "Hello, my dear, who are you?"
John stepped beside flora and put a hand on her shoulder. "This is my niece, Flora," He said.
The older woman shoved the bags to the ground. "Oh hello! I'm Mrs Hudson, the boy's landlady." She held out her hand and shook Flora's gently. "Oh you're freezing! Would you like a cup of tea?"
Flora shook her head. "No I was just leaving," She said looking up at her uncle who was giving her a guilty look.
John then rolled his eyes and looked at Sherlock who was shaking his head. He already knew what John was thinking.
"Flora, please have a cup of tea. I need to look at that cut and your bruise."
Flora shook her head. "No way. I need to be going."
She wasn't lying. John was her last resort. She had no other way of getting out of London her only other option was to go back to Greg and apologize.
"Please, what kind of uncle would I be if I let you walk out of that door? I don't even know if you're hurt anywhere else."
Flora shook her head again. "Really, I'm fine, I promise. I'll be in contact." She tripped over her own feet on the way to the door and John was the first one to check she was ok.
"Please, Flora, just have a cup of tea. Let me check you over."
Flora nodded. "Fine. But I do need to be getting back."
"Back where?" Sherlock said loudly looking at her through the corner of his eyes.
"I'm sorry who are you?" Flora said
"I'm Sherlock Holmes, Your uncle's roommate. And don't change the topic. Back where?" This time he turned his head to face her fully.
Flora looked to the ground. "I'll apologize to Greg; tell him I had a bad day. He might take me back and then I can save up some money."
"Why do you want to leave him so badly? Because he hurts you?" Sherlock said curiously.
"He's never hurt me apart from this one time! He was drunk! I just don't love him, okay?" Sherlock didn't seem satisfied by this answer but he moved on anyway.
He then looked to John and nodded. "Fine…you'll offer even if I say no, but the sofa's mine!"
John looked kindly at Flora. "Would you like to stay here? Just until you get back on your feet, of course if Mrs Hudson is okay with it?"
Flora looked at Mrs Hudson who was smiling in glee. "Oh! That's a fabulous idea! I'd love to have another girl around! You can even stay in my spare room downstairs if you don't feel comfortable up here!"
Flora felt confused and a bit pressured. She didn't understand these people being nice to her, but she felt like she had little choice.
"Well… I suppose a couple of days couldn't hurt… thank you Mrs Hudson, John…Sherlock…"