CHAPTER 10 (Three weeks later)
As Ally and Martha finished putting down the last box in their new flat (which happened to be next door to Sherlock Holmes and John Watson) they couldn't help but wonder how their lives had gotten to this point. Two weeks ago, after Martha had gotten out of the hospital, they'd found out that Martha had lost her job (again), and that they wouldn't be able to afford their flat. So, Ally gave Sherlock a call and now they were moving in. Ally sat down on the couch and sighed. She couldn't believe Sherlock Holmes was actually her next door neighbor! Ally stood up and opened a box near her, which contained all her books. She reached in and grabbed one at random. Lily In Blossom. Oh yes, she remembered this one. The one about the maid and her boss. Ally set it down, wondering if it was was worth a re-read when John walked in. "Hello, you two! Glad you're moving in. It should be fun! We've never had girls next door before. Well, we've never had anyone next door, but you know what I mean." he said. The girls nodded. "Need any help unpacking?" John asked.
"Maybe some other time. I think we've got it." Ally responded. John nodded and left, stealing one last glance at Martha before he did. Ally noticed and turned to her cousin, squealing, "I think he likes you!"
"Don't be stupid. I cry blood! Who could like me?"
"John, apparently!"
"Oh, shut up," Martha said, but Ally saw a hint of blush on her cheeks.
Sherlock was lying on the couch, eyes closed and two nicotine patches pressed to his arm. The woman John had tried to shoot... Who was she? Why had she killed Allison's mother? Questions currently without answers bounced around in Sherlock's skull, giving him something to occupy his boredom for the time being. Suddenly, he heard a gentle knock at the open door. He waved his hand for the person to come in, sat up, and opened his eyes. It was Allison.
"Hello," she said in her quiet voice, "is everything alright? John went to the store and I though I'd check on you." Sherlock nodded, noticing at today she was wearing lipstick of a candy apple red color. Actually, it looked quite nice on her.
"I'm fine," he said suddenly, remembering to speak, "just thinking. I do that a lot." Allison smiled and giggled quietly.
"I figured. You know, I'm a huge fan of your blog." Sherlock found himself pleasantly surprised.
"Really? People often seem to favor John's blog." Allison smiled genuinely. "I do read his, but I like yours just a bit more. And I wanted to thank you."
"For what?"
"Helping solve the case." she said. Suddenly, she leaned forward and planted a small, tentative kiss on his cheek. Then she hastily left the flat, blushing and mumbling to herself. Sherlock stood up and absentmindedly looked in the mirror. Her red lipstick had left a small mark on his cheek. What was that all about? He wondered when she was gone. Miss Jackson, it seemed, was proving to be quite the conundrum.
And Sherlock loved conundrums.
Sorry it's so short and filler-y! Anyway, I had some inspiration at 6 AM and this was born.
Stupid sleeping pills not working...
Anyway, there's some foreshadowing (first one to spot it wins a prize!) and some big words.
Woo-hoo!