My Sister ,Sherrinford~
Chapter 1: Anthea Takes a Message~
"Mycroft Holmes, Anthea speaking, Can I take a message?"
"Anthea, dearest! put my brother on the line, would you?"
"Uhh, he says he's having his evening doughnut right now, is this important?"
"A trifle ,really. Please, tell him, that earlier this afternoon ,our parents tried to shoot me ,and Mrs. Watson ,and she and I ,are currently racing a motorcycle towards the on-coming tube, having tried to evade the men in black cars with machine guns ,that are chasing us high speed,and driving down the rail-way. So, tell him ,really, that I just called to say "hello" or rather "goodbye",and to warn him that maybe Mum and Dad really won't be in a very sociable mood come Christmas morning. Oh ,it's hard to steer with a phone craned into my neck, I'm going now_
*CLICK*
Anthea staired at the phone, wondering if this was a Sherlockian prank. But she turned the telly on, just to see.
Sure enough,there was Sherlock's story on the evening news.
"MYCROFT?!" she wailed,and Mycroft came running. Immediately,calls were being made,and a black helicopter joined the scene on screen...
It had been a rather uneventful day,to start with. Sherlock hadn't had a case in a week,and was starting to get a little restless, reminding John of a tiger cooped up in his cage for too long, pacing in his flat incessantly,when he and Mary had come for tea the last few afternoons.
There had really been nothing going on at the practice, either. John was actually beginning to get mind-numbingly board himself. He had the skill for battle-field injuries,and he was stuck giving flu shots.
Mary was being almost sickeningly patient, so, to sort of make up for a date, he said. "Why don't you take the rest of tonight off,and maybe go help Sherlock do the Christmas shopping for his parents?He's rubbish at that sort of thing."
"Is there a pretty nurse that you don't want me to catch you with?" she asked, nose crinkling in mischief.
He walked her to a mirror. "Well ,she's about my height,and blonde, and has the loveliest eyes..."
"Pfft." she slapped his shoulder.
Just then they heard a baritone rumble from where it's owner leaned against the doorframe,
"And judging by the crease in her left trouser pocket, she has already counted out the exact amount of cash for the present she has picked her beloved..."
"Shhh! You'll spoil it!" Mary gasped, and the Watsons turned to see Sherlock, with the evening snow having settled, like fragments of glass, in his wind -tossed, raven tempest- of- hair, silky blue scarf coming loose and draping about him like a prayer shaw, eyes glittering in the dimly lit office. His dark coat was drawn about him,like a bird folds its wings in,and his high cheek bones had a reddish tinge ,like dusk.
It didn't take the deductive skills of Sherlock Holmes to conclude that he had probably walked a good part of the way here. Very bored, then.
"So, let me just thank you again for looking after him, Mrs. Watson ! His naptime is at 4, his bedtime's at 8, he really could use a lullably, I packed a "Classic Violin Solos" cd in with his jammies,and his teddy,and-"John joked, taking Mary by the hands,and smiling.
Sherlock,puffed."I get it,I'm a child. But ,I thought I was the one supposed to be escorting your princess around London for the rest of the evening?Sounds like bad judgement on your part, entrusting her care to a "toddler"."
John laughed,and came and handed Sherlock some article he'd clipped from the newspaper."You may want to talk to this jeweler, about his problem. Could be a slightly interesting case?"
"Thanks, but I solved it on the way here, it's why I walked, -I told him everything,and then Lestrade walked across the street,from where he was having coffee,and put the janitor in hand cuffs. Of course it was the janitor- it was glaringly obvious that he was the only one in the shop that wore black nail polish, and the ring with the missing stone had black paint chips around it!"
"Obvious-to you."John said pointedly. "The rest of us are not so clever. So , see, Mary, this is my point, exactly. You 're in the best hands."
"Want us to bring you something to eat when we come back by?" she laughed, trying to ignore how Sherlock muttered about the stupidity of how obvious that had been.
"Wouldn't want to get an accidental peek at all the presents you'll be getting. How about I meet you both at that new Thai place that just opened?"
Sherlock and Mary gave each other some kind of strange, mischievous glance that John still hadn't figured out yet.
"Yeah, sure." Mary said.
"Why not!"Sherlock said, trying too hard to sound enthusiastic.
"Oi, Sherlock, it's Christmas!Try to behave!" John gasped, exasperated.
"Never going to happen."Mary laughed, Sherlock already walking out.
"Come on, Mary, the Doctor has patients he needs to see."
John rollled his eyes .There was nobody in the practice.
"You didn't walk-you rode a motorcycle!"Mary cried,and John heard it from the door,and came out to see it.
Sherlock put their helmets on,and winked at John, "Safety first."
"Where'd you?-"
"Gift of the Yard, wanted to make me a little more mobile, so I can do their dirty work more efficently."he laughed,"Believe it or not they all chipped in, even Donovan."
"As close to an apology as you will ever come."
Sherlock reved it up.
"More stylish." he jeered, and Mary blew a kiss.
"Be very jealous, love!" she called.
The day would continue to be very uneventful, until, with no more shots to give,and only cleaning up to do, John made the mistake of turning the waiting room's tv on...
