It was an average, busy day in the city of London. The sky was its usual cloudy and grey, causally letting through a few stray rays of sunlight. On the streets, you could hear the occasional driver honk angrily at an impatient jaywalker. It was the same on the sidewalks, filled with people who were ignoring each other, typing energetically on their phones as they walked in a hurry to their desired destination.
Amongst the throng of people walked a particular brunette who, despite the lack of major sunlight, graced her face with a pair of designer sunglasses. She walked with an air of confidence and elegance that not many women of our time possessed. Something about her was otherworldly. The serious expression on her face made people quickly scatter from her way. Usually, Katherine would smirk at the fearful looks on people's faces, but not today. Today, she was a woman on a mission.
Katherine flipped her long, perfectly curled hair over her shoulder before walking into Speedy's Café, situated on Baker Street. She immediately ordered an expresso before sitting down at the table in the corner of the room, right near the window. She sipped her beverage slowly as she observed the street outside of the café. She must have been lost in her thoughts for a while because suddenly, someone near her cleared their throat. She looked up, and gulped subtly. She should have paid more attention. Katherine wasn't a vampire anymore; she needed to be more careful because now she was much more vulnerable to mundane danger.
There, sitting in front of her, was one of the most dangerous humans she'd ever meet. James Moriarty. Surrounding himself with a powerful and threatening aura, Moriarty wore his classic Westwood suit and a smirk. He indiscreetly observed Katherine, staring at her as if he was reading a captivating book.
"Jim Moriarty." The man said, introducing himself, while extending his palm towards her. Katherine, expecting a handshake, raised her hand to meet his. She didn't expect Moriarty to grasp her hand tightly and, while maintaining eye contact, to bring it up to his lips for a kiss. "Hi."
"Uh, hi." Katherine replied, as she pulled her hand back to her side. "I'm guessing you already know who I am."
"Not exactly. Of course, I know your name, yet I can't seem to find anything else about you. Age, origin, occupation… all remains unknown."
"And it should stay that way." Katherine replied. Moriarty chuckled as he brought his teacup to his lips.
"Oh, Katherine." He chuckled, her name rolling effortlessly from his mouth. "You should know that secrets never stay hidden. They always come back to haunt us."
"I don't care. I just need enough time to disappear."
"Let me guess, you've got a long list of enemies after you."
"More like a couple centuries worth of them."
"Funny. Tell me something, Katherine. Are you brave?"
The question made the woman freeze. Was she brave? Perhaps, over a hundred years ago, when she managed to fake her own death in 1864, she could be considered brave. Or maybe before everything starting going wrong in her life, back in the 15th century, she could have been brave. Yet recently, Katherine's goal had been survival, not being brave and fighting back.
"Right now? No. But I'm alive."
"And clever, clearly." Moriarty hummed. "I'll tell you what, love. I'll help you disappear. On one condition: I need you to do some things for me."
Katherine frowned at him, not completely sure she understood what he meant. He couldn't be implying…
"Relax, darling. I just need you to run a couple of errands for me. You see, I'm going to play a game with a man named Sherlock Holmes."
"Never heard of him."
Moriarty seemed kind of surprised at her revelation and sighed noisily. "Of course, an American like you probably wouldn't have heard of him…"
Katherine rolled her eyes and didn't bother to correct him. She was Bulgarian and lost her accent over time. Moriarty didn't go too much into the details about his plan to take this 'Sherlock Holmes' fellow off of his pedestal. "So what do you say, love? Wanna play a game?"
Katherine sent him a sarcastic smile.
"I'm up for it. Game on."
Soon after, Moriarty left with the promise of contacting Katherine in the next couple of days. Katherine decided to stay a while and examine the scenery for a while longer. She hasn't been in London since 1901. So much has changed yet the capital still bared many similarities to the one she had seen evolve in the past.
Katherine wasn't sure exactly about how she felt about her collaboration with Moriarty, but at this point she was desperate. If dealing with a criminal mastermind was her only option then she would gladly run a few errands for the man.
Sighing contently, she got up and ordered herself a coffee to go at the counter. While waiting for her beverage to be prepared, she glanced around the café with a bored expression. There weren't many people inside, mostly students working on their laptops or reading books. It was very calm and peaceful. The jingle the door made as it opened disrupted the peace, yet no one seemed to mind.
"I'm telling you, Sherlock. It isn't good for you." A voice stated. Katherine perked up as she heard the name of Moriarty's enemy. Perhaps this was the great Sherlock Holmes he was so obsessed with.
"I don't eat while I'm on a case, John. It's distracting." An annoyed reply came from a second voice. Katherine turned around and examined the pair. So this was Sherlock Holmes and his friend John. John was, as expected, much shorter than his friend. He wore a black Donkey Jacket on top of a red knitted sweater. He had bags under his eyes and an expression that said 'dammit-Sherlock-you-are-so-bloody-stubborn'. Sherlock, on the other hand, wore a long jacket with the collar popped up, giving himself a mysterious look.
Katherine hated to say it, but they weren't at all what she was expecting. Especially Sherlock. He was… interesting. She observed quietly as John talked to Sherlock who was typing impatiently on his phone.
"Order for... Katherine!" The barista shouted. The woman quickly turned around and grabbed her cup before walking towards the exit.
"Excuse me!" A voice behind her said. Katherine smirked, recognizing Sherlock's voice. She quickly composed herself, putting on an expression of innocence before turning to face the two men.
"Yes?" Katherine looked at them expectantly.
"Oh… Uh, nevermind. Sorry for bothering you." Sherlock said dismissively. Katherine and John were both filled with confusion. Something was up with Sherlock. The woman shrugged, before nodding at them and walking out of the door. John immediately turned to Sherlock.
"What was that? Who was she?"
"Trouble."