Chapter 3.1

Sherlock groaned squinting his eyes shut against the daylight that was trying to break through the clouds. He rolled onto his side to look out the windows and his eyes widened. He could see the sea, the rough waves rising and falling. He crawled across the bed and gingerly stood. With shaky steps he reached the floor to ceiling windows and stared out.

"It wasn't a dream. I am in the future. What the hell do I do now?"

"Might I suggest a shower and a spot of breakfast, sir."

Holmes nearly had a heart attack. He yelped, span round, got into a fighting stance and looked around the room. "Who said that?" Walking the perimeter of the room he examined each ceiling corner until he found one with a little grey screen sitting ,nearly invisible, against the paintwork. "Uh...Is that you...Jarvis,isn't it?"

"I'm sorry I alarmed you, sir. Mr Stark requested that I make your first morning with us a stress-free ride."

"Oh? That's... thoughtful of him. I feel fine, apart from travelling through time and nearly having a heart attack. You can thank Mr Stark from me for his generous offer, but I don't think I'm ready to be taking for any sort of ride,not yet anyway."

"That's what he said. I asked him to explain but he smirked and told me to mind my own business. Now, there's a change of clothes on the dresser along with a plate of toast and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. If there's anything else just just let me know."

"I will. Thank-you, Jarvis. For a disembodied voice you're quite the gentleman. "

"It's a pleasure, sir."


Once he was showered and dressed, in a dark shirt and black trousers, Holmes took a tour of the house. It was tastefully furnished,everything matched ,even the carpet that felt very soft under his bare-feet. He couldn't find Tony anywhere and asked Jarvis, the AI told him that Mr Stark had gone out and would be back later. Holmes just shrugged and continued his tour.

"Oh, my God! I'm surprised you can walk after your little late night activities. You amaze me."

He turned on his heels to find a very pretty woman, with light copper hair in a ponytail and wearing a cream shirt and black skirt combo, walking up to him. She stopped inches from him and put her hands on her hips. One word came to his mind: Mad. She was mad at him for some reason but he hadn't done anything...Yet. He remained quiet to see which direction this encounter would go. He arranged his features into an innocent expression.

Her light blue eyes flashed, "Don't give me that face! You did it again, didn't you?" Holmes didn't move a muscle. " I don't why I do it. Every time you bring home some bimbo you leave it for poor Pepper to turf her out. Do you know how much you dry-cleaning bill is so far this month? Well, do you, Mr Stark?"

Ah! The famous Pepper. Holmes, now knowing who she was, studied her more closely. Clearly the girl did a lot for Tony and got little appreciation for her efforts. Holmes felt sorry for her. Normally he steered clear of affectionate displays towards the fairer sex, but this girl...She was half way through another rant when he silenced her with a tap on the lips with his finger-tips. Her eyes went wide and he noticed the faint flush creeping up her neck. A thing for the boss. This could be interesting. He stepped closer and pulled her in for a hug. She squeaked in surprise but as soon as she felt his arms go around her she relaxed. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Thank-you, Pepper." He whispered softly.

"Just give me a heads-up next time,OK?"

"I will." Pepper pulled back, she was looking concerned. "What?"

"Are you feeling OK? You sound...husky. Are you getting a sore throat?"

Holmes fought to keep the smirk, that threatened to give him away, from appearing and shrugged. " You know something, I haven't been feeling too good lately. Woke up today and..." He drew an invisible line across his throat. "What does the famous Pepper suggest for a cure?"

"Well... Chicken soup and crackers. Best cure I can think of. Oh, and lots of OJ." She smiled warmly. "Tell you what, why don't you go back to bed. You need to be fighting fit for the hearing this afternoon- I know you tried to cancel it- you'll have to think of something good to win this latest round. And no show-boating!" Holmes was completely lost and had allowed himself to be hypnotized by the sound of her soft voice. He stared blankly at her, and when he didn't move she reached up and kissed his forehead. " To bed, Tony." He blinked, suddenly regaining focus and nodded. She smiled again. "Good. I won't be long. Jarvis, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid while I'm out."

"I will keep an eye on him, Miss Potts."

Pepper snatched up her purse,checked its contents and nodded. "Right. Mini-mart for chicken soup,crackers and OJ. And then Stark Industries and then...What for lunch? I think a salad today." She looked up and spotted him staring at her. "I'm sorry." She shrugged, " Talking to myself again."

"No,it's fine."

"Right, then. I'm off." She shouldered the bag and grinned, "Will that be all, Mr Stark?"

Holmes did smirk this time, "That will be all, Miss Potts." She nodded and headed out. Once Holmes was sure she had gone he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He felt so confused, there was something about Miss Potts he just couldn't put his finger on. " What a very rare lady." He mumbled.


That wasn't longer...What the hell hap- Oh man! My computer wiped some of it. When I've recover the lost pieces I'll update again.

M.x