Okay so I'm gonna have to do this chapter in parts because it's getting pretty long... these chapters (other then these two) aren't usually going to be affiliated with one another... it's sort of just story drabble. Like episodes you can watch out of order. But if one gets too long I'll label it into parts. I know I mentioned these wouldn't be too heavy but this one wasn't really as humorous as I had hoped. I hope you like the storyline though!
Part One
"These two are monsters!" I grabbed fistfuls of my hair and tucked myself into the musty carpet, leaving Brienna to stand helplessly next to my curled body. It had only been a few minutes since the young couple we were babysitting for- Nick and Samantha Lovett- left for the day, and already their two sons Brennan and Kyle were running about the cramped flat, whizzing on the sofa, and running amuck with a lit cigarette between his teeth, respectively.
"We can't give up!" Brienna cried bravely. She threw her energy into chasing Kyle, who was coughing and choking on smoke. These boys were only eight!
"Can't we smack them?" I asked miserably- my question muffled into my knees.
"No!" I could totally hear the longing in her voice.
"Fine." I spat. I stood up, rolling my sleeves to my elbows and prepping myself for the worst. I let something small snap in me, revealing a secret reserve of quiet rage. I brushed off my clothing, let out a breath, and approached Brennan, who had already pulled up his trousers and was seemingly ready to move on to something else. In one fell swoop I picked him up and threw him across my shoulders 'Ole Yeller' style. He immediately screeched with all his might into my ear canal and yanked at my hair, but I had already steeled myself against his assualts. The minute we reached the kitchen I whipped him off of my back and took hold of his small shoulders, pinning him to the fridge.
"Where does your mother keep the cleaning supplies?" There was no way Brennan heard me over his screaming. I wondered if the neighbors would call the police, but I quickly dismissed the idea. This couldn't have been the first time these boys had misbehaved. I tried to remain as calm as possible as Brennan kicked mercilessly at my shins and shouted curses at me- again, only eight- but I could tell he was getting tired. Brienna inched around us to dispose of Kyle's spent cigarette butt and eventually, she carried him in as well. The stale lighting illuminated the kids' angry features as we pondered what to do, feeling hopeless.
"We'll let you two go as soon as you calm down- there's nothing you can do otherwise." I warned. It was the best I could think of at the moment. Apparently, Brennan thought he would take my statement as a challenge and he promptly hocked a huge wad of spit onto my cheek. I reeled back, appalled, and yet, somewhat impressed. However, I didn't release my grip on Brennan one bit and kept a deadly glare on him as I wiped the spittle off of my face.
Kyle giggled and thought it might be fun to treat Brienna the same way, but she was too quick for him and slapped a hand over his ashy mouth. Hauling Brennan behind me, I began to search each and every cabinet until I found a spray that claimed to eliminate odors. I practically dragged the young boy into the living room, slapped the bottle into his hands, aimed him at the sofa, and ordered, "Clean."
Brennan only growled and started to bolt, but I caught him.
"Clean." I seethed. I was vaguely aware that Brienna was washing Kyle's mouth out in the bathroom. Fuming and realizing he had no escape, Brennan began tenatively spraying at the urine-scented cushions. I breathed a small sigh of relief- we were getting somewhere.
"What now?" Brienna exited the bathroom with Kyle in tow, his face red with rage. I sucked in air thoughtfully.
"Now... I need a break. Already."
"Agreed."
The boys started to protest. I'm sure they thought we would be throwing them into their rooms for the day, but I had a different idea.
"We're going to have ice cream." I announced. "We're going to have ice cream and watch a movie with the two boys we're supposed to be babysitting because that stuff is fun and whatever this is-" I motioned to the soggy sofa, "-isn't fun"
I could tell the boys were struggling with themselves, then. Should they swallow their pride for a bit of mid-day dessert or show no mercy and beat us down? I knew full well which one they would choose, and so did Brienna, so I lifted the cleaner from Brennan and headed for the freezer while Brienna hunted down the dvds. A loud knock sounded at the front door. Brienna shot me a strange look from the living room. I laughed.
"No one wonders why they're screaming- only why they've stopped."
Brienna giggled and went downstairs to pacify whoever it was that was concerned. A few moments later, she called up the stairs.
"Heidi?"
"Yeah?"
Silence.
"Brienna?"
"...Call Mycroft."
Worry jolted through me. I started immediately for the stairs, dropping the ice cream and the utensils for it, when I realized there was a good reason Brienna had given me instructions. I pressed my phone to my ear and waited until it was at least ringing before heading down to see what the trouble was. Both Brienna and I had Mycroft Holmes on speed dial, along with the numbers of Sherlock, John, and Gregory Lestrade- all in the case of an emergency. I rushed down the steps but the minute I saw the figure in the doorstep at 324 Brookwood Street, I slowed to a halt.
"Yes?" It was a lazy greeting of which only Mycroft was capable.
"Mycroft... there is a man here with a gun and a badge... uhm.." I stammered out, locking eyes with the strange, uniformed man.
"Oh, yes, I've sent him."
I let out a huge sigh, the fear leaving my body. It was Mycroft. Mycroft was the emergency.
"Well, what do you want?"
"I need your help with something." He drawled.
"Mine?" I puzzled.
"And Brienna's."
I glanced over at my friend. She was in the process of placing her hand on the man's gun and lowering it so it was no longer pointing at her.
"For what? And you can't possibly mean right now... We're in the middle of babysitting two-" The boys had appeared at the top of the stairs. "Wonderful children." I finished.
"Yes. Right now." He sounded urgent and a tad irritated. "A car is waiting for you outside. Get in. Everything can be explained on the way."
To Brienna I mouthed, "Text Sherlock." Then,"What are you going to do, Mycroft? Shoot us?" I asked incredulously.
"No. But I think you're forgetting the damage a government official can do to a person's life." His tone was surprisingly threatening. I made a mental note to move his number down on my list of people to call if I were ever in trouble. I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Just... fine. Can you at least wait until Sherlock gets here?"
"My brother..." he began distastefully, "Why?"
I made a face as if he could see it. "Kids!" I blustered. "The kids, Mycroft!" After that I hung up sassily and leaned against the wall.
"Sherlock's on his way." Brienna informed me, then she called up the stairs. "You two are gonna have a different babysitter tonight, okay? Make sure he remembers your ice cream."
We didn't get a response. I hoped the kids weren't too scared. We both looked disprovingly at the man with the gun, but he didn't make a move to stow it away.
The Lovett household was only a few streets from Baker so it didn't take Sherlock long at all to arrive. His long coat billowed around him as he pushed past the man blocking our exit to see himself inside.
"Mycroft is here." He told us. Brienna must not have mentioned it in her text.
"He needs our help with something."
"Your help?" Sherlock was glancing quickly around, but I could tell his eyesight was impaired from the transition to the dark flat. The moment he adjusted properly, his gaze surfed over the two of us. He looked concerned, "You've been attacked."
"We haven't-" I said, confused.
"The kids." Brienna explained. Oh, right.
"You need to take care of them for us. Mycroft isn't letting us off the hook."
"What? Why can't John do it?"
"John is at work." Brienna informed him.
"No, he was at the flat- I just talked to him not..." he cocked his head and narrowed his eyes, trying to recall something. "How many hours ago was it?" Sherlock mumbled to himself. "Well, what about Mrs. Hudson?"
"Vacation." I explained.
The mobile in my hand buzzed. 'I'm becoming impatient -MH'
"Ugh. We have to go. Good luck with those kids."
Sherlock was already climbing the stairs, "Good luck with my brother."
We were swiftly ushered into the dark, government-issued vehicle where Mycroft Holmes was waiting. The minute we took our seats, the door was closed behind us- a gesture that, under any other circumstances, would have seemed threatening.
"You know," I began, glaring at Mycroft, "This thing you do.. this- what did John call it? That I liked so much?"
"Power complex." Brienna supplied.
"Thank you. That. Stop doing that."
"Ladies." Mycroft gazed lazily out the window, ignoring my statement. "There is an extremely important party tonight. And-"
"You need dates?" Brienna gasped. "Jesus, Mycroft, why didn't you just ask."
He glanced peculiarly at her. "I can see why Sherlock and John are fond of you." Mycroft cleared his throat, "No. I'm asking you to attend this party in lieu of three other girls who, unfortunately, won't be able to make it. You see, an upwards of 200 lives are at stake."
We both blanched, not daring to take our eyes off of him.
"And... you're trusting us to save them? By attending a party?" I couldn't piece together exactly what Mycroft wanted us to do. Why couldn't Sherlock and John help him? Or even the Yard?
"It's a particular party. Only one specific group of individuals will be attending beside you two. That group is known as the Venus Rose Gang. They're wanted criminals, and they're hoping to do business with the British government during this party tonight."
"Why can't you just book 'em? Throw them in prison?" We inquired.
"Like I said. They have over two hundred hostages someplace and we don't know where."
Brienna sucked in air. I let my head fall dejectedly into my hands. Mycroft let the information sink in for a few moments. Finally, I lifted my head.
"So why us?"
He moved his gaze back to Brienna and I. "Well, we've dealt with this gang in the past. They've always made demands for the same three girls- the life of the party, Katherine Wells, Mabel Marie, and Sharon Winneca. They weren't part of the Venus Rose Gang but they were criminals in their own sense. They entertained criminals, and occasionally, they ran 'errands' for them as well, earning money-illegally of course. It's been awhile since we last did business with Venus Rose, and since then the girls have sort of... retired. They married off. One's expecting. And one's got enough money and power to protect all three of them from the British government. We can't threaten them into attending this party tonight. So we need replacements. I could have looked into strangers from off the street, but why hold auditions when I already have two, perfectly trustworthy girls within reach?" He smiled brightly at us as if this were some, once in a lifetime opportunity.
"When you say, 'entertain...'" Brienna asked suspiciously. Mycroft looked out the window once more.
"Nothing sexual, of course." He reassured. "Also, you will be playing a part above the three girls the gang has requested in the past. You will not only be entertaining the criminals, you will need to coax information out of them as well. At all costs, you must find out where those hostages are. We don't know the gang's demands, yet, but they could be too much for us to handle."
"Will we be wearing a wire?" Brienna asked. The result of too many good movies. Mycroft leaned back in his seat like the self-important bastard he was, and confirmed that, yes, we would indeed be waltzing into a ballroom full of dangerous criminals in skimpy dresses wearing, what else, a microphone. It made me uneasy.
"Why?" I asked nervously. "Why can't we just tell you wear the hostages are once we find out?"
"Wouldn't it look rather suspicious if you were to rush off right after they spilled the information? You'll have to stay for the entire event, whatever they tell you will be transmitted directly to us. Oh," Mycroft leaned forward dangerously, "And don't mention my name. The Venus Rose Gang is under the impression that I'm not affiliated with tonight's events at all."
Mycroft refused to explain anything else to us.
Please rate and review! If anyone has scenario ideas-remember this is just funny drabble- please hit me up! I had some ideas but I promptly forgot them.. This scenario, in which we have to switch 'jobs' with Sherlock was Brienna's idea :)