Again, I don't own anything. Pity.
Chapter 2 - Juice
With Mycroft gone, John helped Ava unpack the shopping. He didn't know if it was considerate or presumptuous that she brought food when she didn't know whether or not Sherlock would say yes. 'Wait a minute,' John thought to himself and then walked over to Sherlock still facing the window. It had all happened so quickly that John just realized the obvious.
"You didn't even ask my opinion."
Sherlock didn't turn around. "What?"
"About Ava staying. You didn't even ask me."
"Well, I knew you'd say 'yes'."
"And how's that then?"
Sherlock swiveled his head and eyed his roommate up and down. "You're always a sucker for damsels in distress." Completely turning around, Sherlock glanced at Ava in the kitchen. She looked up at the two men and smiled. While Ava was no beauty queen, her smile was pleasant. "Especially the oddly pretty ones."
John ignored the barb – mostly because he didn't want to admit that it was true – but also because he had thought of another question.
"Where's she going to sleep? I'm not giving up my room."
Sherlock looked down at John. He knew this was going to be a challenge. Laying down his violin and bow, Sherlock crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Neither am I."
Ava settled the argument before it had a chance to begin. "Boys, don't be silly. I wouldn't dream of asking either of you to give up your room. I can kip on the sofa. I'm just grateful you both are letting me stay here in the first place."
"But that means you'll be walking around in your night things." Sherlock was a little taken aback. Apart from Irene, no other woman had stayed in his flat before.
"Sherlock, I hate to break it to you, but you are walking around in your night things right now."
"That's different."
"How is that…? Never mind. What if I promise to keep the Victoria's Secrets under wraps while I'm here? Would that set your mind at rest?"
Before Sherlock could begin to start his sentence: "What's …?", John cut him off.
"That'll be great. Thanks, Ava. Problem solved."
Ava turned back to the kitchen, but heard Sherlock continue with John, "What's Victoria's secret? Who's Victoria?"
Ava grinned and said over her shoulder. "If you boys don't mind, I'll make us some juice now."
At that Sherlock sprinted to the kitchen, "Don't touch my experiments."
"Wouldn't dream of it. I just need some room to put my juicer."
John followed Sherlock and finally saw what shopping Ava had brought with her. Sherlock was examining the unpacked contents on the countertop. Cucumbers, apples, kale, celery, lemons, and ginger. Not what John would have brought if he were a guest in somebody's house. He couldn't think of anything that would taste nice if all those ingredients were in them.
Out of one of the other bags that had been across her shoulder, Ava brought out a strange looking device. Almost like an old fashioned meat grinder, it was more wide than tall and Ava put the parts together with effortless speed.
John couldn't believe his eyes as he watched Ava proceed to use all those things in her juicer at the same time.
Sherlock watched Ava from a fascination not for what she was putting in the juice but from the way that she was doing it. She moved about the place with a strange sort of energy about her. What was it? Ah, confidence. Ava was walking around as if she already knew the place. She walked around, Sherlock hated to admit it, a bit like himself.
As the juice was collected into a little cup, Sherlock's optimism faltered. Now he knew where the green splatters came from. Sherlock was quite disappointed the answer was this mundane. He had hoped it would be something that would lead him to why Mycroft wanted her protected.
"Here you go, boys. Cheers." Ava handed them each a glass of dark green liquid.
Although John was thinking it, only Sherlock had the lack of manners to say, "That looks revolting."
"So does half of the things in your refrigerator. At least this is edible."
Sherlock answered her with his deadpan stare.
"Listen, forget caffeine, forget nicotine, forget whatever your recreational drug of choice is. Juice gives your brain a natural boost."
"It's green."
"That's the kale."
"What's that?"
"Dark, leafy green vegetable."
"Never heard of it."
Finally, John popped into the conversation. "I'm not surprised."
Sherlock turned to look at John.
"Solar system. That's all I'm going to say."
Sherlock wanted to say something sharp, but Ava charged ahead. "Look, boys, drink a glass each and I'll leave you alone the rest of the morning. I need to say 'Hello' to Mrs. Hudson and do a few things. Besides, I know how hard it is to get private time."
John looked exasperated, "I'm not actually gay."
Sherlock downed the juice in one go not bothering to taste it. Taste buds didn't matter when all he wanted was to get rid of this American for the rest of the morning. She was starting to get on his nerves already.
John was a little harder sell. He closed his eyes and took one tentative sip. Then another. "Not bad." He finished his juice, and Ava smiled.
"Thanks. I'll just leave you two to it then." She patted each of them on the arm before heading out the door and down the stairs.
"Not gay!" John yelled behind her and walked off in a huff.
Half an hour later, John walked back into the kitchen to find Sherlock in the exact same stance as he was before Ava left.
"Have you done it?"
"Done what?"
"I asked you to go downstairs and get that American girl."
"When was that?"
"Ten minutes ago."
"Why?"
"I need more juice!"
