Tea
Elizabeth looked at herself in the mirror on the back of her door and smiled, she was standing tall in shiny nude heels, which accentuated the length of her legs. The pale skin of her legs contrasting against the tight ebony material of her strapless black dress, the material stretched over her small frame nicely. She allowed her smile to widen; the outfit was perfect for a night out in a bar while staking out a killer. She noticed her own small frame and her visible bones, her small waist and tiny curves and sighed, she really should have been taking more care of her body. Losing a stone and a half in three months was not healthy, however much she needed her mind, and she needed her body too otherwise it was likely that she would die. She thought herself lucky that it hadn't reached that stage yet.
She pulled the band out of her hair, allowing her newly dies blonde locks to fall in waves down her back. She pushed her hands through her hair and ruffled it to create an effortlessly messy look. Her eyes shone an unfamiliar brown, the contact lenses disguising her own green eyes. This was a small but necessary detail in luring out her killer, it was his MO, something that he hadn't broken yet. The phone on the bedside table, vibrated and pinged loudly breaking her trail of thought and snapping her attention to however had just messaged her. She threw herself on the bed childishly and reached for the phone, she read the message carefully.
Baker Street, the coffee house café, 30 minutes – SH
She sighed, and thought to herself about how Sherlock Holmes had gotten her number. He could have asked Lestrade for it but she doubted that he would have willingly given out her number. It was possible that he got it from someone else, but who could have given it to him. She doubted that they knew the same people. Another text broke her concentration.
Come if convenient – SH
She sighed at the screen as another text came through.
Come if inconvenient –SH
She sighed again and typed back a response.
If I meet you, will you leave me alone? – EW
A response came through immediately.
It is entirely possible – SH
God, could this man be any more infuriating, she thought to herself as she stood up and slipped on her winter coat. She considered going out via her bedroom door but the thought of running into her dumb, horny roommate. Jason, a junkie with no aspirations except for sleeping with the population of London, he had an obvious crush on Elizabeth and had recently been constantly high. She didn't want to into his while he was under the influence of drugs, he would never leave her alone, especially with her new look. She took a long stride towards the window and pushed it open. One floor up in a block of dingy looking flats, she slipped the shoes off her feet and threw towards the ground.
Elizabeth hooked her legs over the window ledge and jumped out of window. She landed with a soft thud on the pavement, her feet stinging from the initial contact. She winced as she gathered her shoes and placed them back on her feet and started the walk to Baker Street.
The 'coffee house' on Baker Street was a quaint little place, full of people picking up coffees to fuel their days. A variety of people were inside, including a curly haired consulting detective that sat with his back towards her. She suppressed a smile as she walked in and placed herself on the chair adjacent to him. She noted his stern expression, eyes closed and hands steepled beneath his chin, he was deep in thought. So deep in his thought that he was unaware of her presence, she let out a small laugh and poured herself a cup of tea from the pot in between them.
She sipped her tea quietly and waited for him to acknowledge her. After a few minutes he opened his eyes and blinked furiously, re adjusting himself to his surroundings. His hands dropped down from his chin and rested on the table, next to his own mug of tea.
"Sherlock" Elizabeth said quietly, nodding towards him as she took another sip from her tea.
"Miss Wilde, trying to attract a killer?" he gestured towards her sudden change of appearance. New clothes in a different style to the previous day, heels and the most notably changes in her hair and eye colour.
She placed the mug of tea gently on the table and smiles, showing her teeth to him "You could say that" she muttered.
"Is there another way to say it?" he questioned, the annoyance clear in his voice.
"Plenty I'm sure but we stray from the point" she answered simply, allowing her eyes to wander over his body. She observed similar black trousers and a matching jacket, teamed with a grey shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes. The dark scarf hung loosely around his neck and his coat was on but undone. "You were the one that summoned me here, what is it that you want?"
He lent back in his chair, slightly relaxed "Greg and John were concerned about you, they seem to be under the belief that you are in danger." There was a hint of concern in his tone but nothing too obvious.
"And what do you think Sherlock?" she asked quickly, knowing the question would throw him off easily.
He took a deep breath "You are purposely putting yourself in danger that much is clear from your sudden change of appearance."
She interjected quickly "I didn't ask about my motivations, I asked what you think Sherlock."
"It is also my belief that you are placing yourself in danger and I understand their concern for your wellbeing, you are after all quite young" he spoke softly.
She laughed "only understand?" she pouted mockingly "I'm hurt" she smiled "I am 19, not a child anymore." He raised an eyebrow to her and she continued "I understand why Greg is concerned, I'm his niece. But why would John be concerned? I only met him yesterday and we are far from friends."
Sherlock hesitated before he spoke, which was uncommon for him "He is a caring man."
Elizabeth pointed her finger towards him and wagged it playfully "I am not convinced Sherlock" she leant back in her chair and smiled "I think Dr. Watson has a crush" Sherlock raised an eyebrow, which was enough to convince her that she was right. "Rest assured, I do not recuperate such feelings. I will not hurt your friend."
Sherlock smiled mockingly "That was the last of my concerned, John is a grown man if he wants to make a fool of himself, I won't stop him."
Elizabeth was slightly taken back by the statement "it is merely an infatuation, it will wither and die. He'll forget about me soon enough and carry on living his life."
Sherlock stared at her for a moment before asking "do you really believe that?"
She looked at her mug of tea and spoke softly "I believe what I have to. John's a sweet guy and a girl like me, as you have already deduced, would not be good for him." He looked as if he was going to say something but his lips were locked in a thin line. "I don't like human contact either, couldn't even shake his hands, so I doubt I would be able to keep him…" she took a few moments to find the appropriate words "satisfied."
Sherlock looked at her, processing everything she had just said. She forced on a smile and spoke "I have somewhere to be Sherlock, although this chat has been very informative." She started to get up and Sherlock jumped to his feet.
He spoke in a hushed whisper "It would be careless of me to just let you leave without at least trying to find out your plans."
Elizabeth smiled "Sherlock, you knew my plans the moment you saw me, you do not know the details but you are aware that I am planning to lure the killer out. I hope you figured everything out that you needed to." She said sincerely as she walked away from the table and out of the small café. She was a few meters away when Sherlock called from behind her.
"Be careful" she couldn't help but smile at the comment and turned to call back.
"I promise" she looked at the detective standing outside the café with a worried expression as she turned and walked down the street.
