Wow! 350 views in 24 hours. I have to admit, this turned out to be much more successful than I thought it would be. For all you lovelies who have taken a look, here is chapter 2, just for you. Please read and review!


I listened as John left the flat. Fortunately, he hadn't noticed that I had dismantled his phone. He was running late, so he wouldn't return to confront me about it before work. I sprinted into my room and removed the bandages that were binding my breasts. I was really getting tired of binding them all the time. I slipped on a baggy cotton shirt and my blue dressing gown before I went back into the living room and reclined on the couch in my thinking pose.

I had been back at Baker St. for nearly six months, and things had nearly gone back to normal. John and I solved cases, I did experiments, and John nagged me about how much I ate and slept. But there was still tension between us. Part of it was because John was still deciding whether or not to trust me again, but there was still something else. Every so often I'd catch him staring at me. It was somewhat disconcerting, and John would always act like it never happened. It was puzzling, and I did not like it at all.

I found myself watching John more often as well. After being away for so long, it was nice to be able to just look at him. I spent long periods trying to deduce what had happened while I was gone. He seemed to have aged far more than he should have. He had more grey hairs, and the lines around his eyes had deepened. To the unobservant eye, there wasn't much difference, but I knew knew John best, and I was more observant than most.

I was just getting ready to enter my mind palace to go over the issue when I heard footsteps on the stairs. I paused for a moment, to see if I could determine whose they were. They were John's. I jumped up and strode over to my violin, hastily picking it up. I looked down to make sure that my shirt was loose enough that John wouldn't notice anything out of place when the door opened. I quickly played some dissonant notes to distract him.

"Sherlock!" John called out over the violin. I stopped and turned my head to look at him without turning the rest of my body. I quickly scanned his body to check for signs as to why he was home. His clothes were still fresh and he looked well, so he wasn't ill. He smelled faintly of the disinfectant they used at the A&E, but not too strongly, so he had entered but hadn't stayed long.

"Ah, John. I see that your shift was cancelled." I turned my head back and started playing the violin again.

"Yeah. Have you seen my phone? They tried to call me, but it wasn't in my coat."

"It's on the table." As I listened to John cross to the kitchen, I tried to calculate a way to get back to my room without exposing my front to John.

"Sherlock," John sighed. He must have seen his phone. "Would you please leave my things alone?" Dull. I ignored him and continued to play.

John went back into the kitchen and put on the kettle. If he went after the biscuits on the third shelf, I'd be able to slip into my room, but he'd also notice the action.

"Tea?" John asked. If I refused, he'd be suspicious.

"Yes." Maybe if I pretended to go to the toilet I'd be able to slip away. I glanced at John's reflection in the mirror over the fireplace. He was staring at me again. The man was refusing to cooperate. I continued to play the violin and pretend not to notice him. The kettle whistled, and he had turned his back to make tea. I wasn't going to be able to slip past him. The man was like a tea-making machine, quick and efficient. John brought my tea over and set it on the table next to me. Fortunately, my dressing gown was hanging so that any view of my chest was obscured.

John walked over to his chair and sat down. Maybe if I draped my dressing gown just right, I would be able to avoid being noticed. I set my violin down, wrapped my dressing gown loosely around myself, and carried my tea over to the kitchen table. John was on his laptop, engrossed in his blog, so I was able to slip past him without being noticed.

I quickly finished off my tea and slipped into my room, silently cursing my stupidity. It was a risk that I knew I shouldn't have taken. Making sure my door was locked, I pulled off my shirt and quickly began to bind my breasts again. I was about to put the shirt back on when my phone went off.

Locked room murder case. Looks like those serial killings. Will you come? -GL

After sending off a quick reply, I called, "John, case!" I heard him groan from the other room, but I ignored him. I pulled out my suit with a black button-up shirt and dressed quickly. John was just pulling his shoes on again when I came out of my room.

"Hurry, John!" I cried as I sprinted past his chair and pulled my coat on. Lestrade texted me back with the address as I was putting my scarf on. This one looked like it was going to be fun.