Dr. Capt. Julia H. Watson
By Rurple101
CHAPTER 10: A Study of Loyalty
As Julia was phoning the pink phone, she looked out of the window and saw Sherlock stepping into the cab and then driving off.
"It's Sherlock, he just drove off in a cab" she said to the others.
"Didn't I say he did that?" Donovan said.
"Did I say I cared what you thought Donovan…hmmm believe that was a NO" Julia snapped back and glared at her.
Donovan rolled her eyes. "We're wasting our time! Let's leave it! It smells in this kitchen!"
Lestrade looked at Julia and she sighed.
"I'm going to go after him" Julia said after a moment's hesitation.
Lestrade looked worried "No, you can do that Julia! He's a murderer."
Julia picked up the laptop and was glad that Sherlock paid for a memory stick of internet connection. She also grabbed Sherlock's blue scarf that he'd left behind, knowing he'd want it later. It must have been a comfort thing for him. She grabbed a small pouch bag that was empty and had her name printed on it. Clearly a welcome present from Mrs Hudson.
She half heard Lestrade and Donovan speaking, and then deciding to quit and leave the flat. As far as Julia cared, if Donovan crossed the threshold of the flat again, she'd get a slap in the face.
Lestrade was putting his coat on and Julia was impatient for him to leave.
"Why did he have to do that?" Lestrade complained. "Leave us?"
"You'd know him better than me" Julia said simply. "I met his yesterday and I've only been round him since late afternoon."
"Hmm what a date" Lestrade joked.
Her face hardened. "He isn't a date, I'm his new flatmate and that's it."
"I've known Sherlock Holmes for five years, and I'm desperate because I know he's a great man-" Lestrade pointed out as he straightened his coat and Julia nodded.
"-maybe one day, he'll be a good one" he finished.
Julia scoffed lightly before saying "I'd better go, see you around Lestrade!" She started to walk out.
"It's Greg!" he called back.
"Whatever!" Julia put the scarf, netbook and her keys in the pouch and overtook the volunteers out of the door.
She hailed down a cab and promptly got inside.
She checked her phone and found a text from an unknown number. She rang it and it answered less than two blips.
"Ah, hello Dr Watson, how are you, this evening?"
It was the mysterious man again, except Julia smiled and said "What is your name? I guessed that you're a Holmes, you and Sherlock are quite similar."
The man audibly gasped.
Julia opened the laptop again and restarted the MePhone search.
"How did you…come to your senses that I am related to Sherlock Holmes?" he asked warily.
"Because-" she said smugly. "Your height, mannerisms and mainly the way you talk and act gave you away. I did a degree in Psychology – I understand that you know that, you give the idea away - especially with your very educated and expensive clothing – that you are well high up. Not that I'm attacking you of course. I just think you should know that your brother is in danger and I will try and save him."
"May you not be so dramatic, you sound just like Sherlock."
"Excuse me madam?" called the cabbie. "Where did you say you wanted to go?"
"Oh sorry, Roland-Kerr Further Education College, please!" Julia said, away from the phone.
"Why is Sherlock doing in an empty college?" the man drawled. Julia batted the question away.
"I want you to call DI Lestrade of Scotland Yard and tell him to send a team down to the Roland-Kerr Further Education College. Tell him Sherlock's in danger. I also want you to know that – and be assured by you – that if I manage to kill the cabbie who will use Sherlock's weaknesses against him, I won't be…jailed."
There was a pause.
"You do sound genuinely concerned about my brother? Have you sustained your need for danger?"
Julia grinned. "I'm agreeable then?"
He sighed "Certainly, Dr Watson. Never has Sherlock been able to name some person a friend, although I believe he will with you."
"I hope I don't sound too threatening" she said, slightly worried. They were pulling into the college entrance and saw the cab abandoned.
"You are a military doctor Julia Watson, of course you sound demanding, but you are protecting my little brother for me. I wish you luck."
The phone went dead. Julia paid the cabbie and jumped out of the cab and started running into the building through the half ajar door, feeling her gun in her back pocket, secure and armed.
Julia dashed through the empty and quietly daunting hallways, moaning every time she came to either a locked door or an empty room.
Where was he?
Why is it - a small voice in her head had awoken. That, yesterday morning, you were a moody and emotionless lump of misery hobbling around on a stupid stick? Why is it that NOW your running freely and searching desperately for a man you have now learnt to respect and trust? SHERLOCK HOLMES –you've been told he is a person not to be trusteed yet you still do. Why? If your mother could see you now Julia…what would she think? Or better still, what would Daddy say? What would Sammy say when he saw you have done something so utterly reckless?
Julia ground her teeth together; it was her stupid doubt and the devil sitting on her shoulder that was saying these things.
It did make her think about it though. Today had been one of the best days ever in a long time for her.
Before, she'd longed for the battlefield again, to feel the adrenaline around her as it filled her up with survival instinct and danger.
Now she wandered around next to Sherlock and she felt whole again. Not in the sense of romance, no, Sherlock wasn't really like that and if she did feel like that then it wouldn't been until she fully understood him. He was an interesting character, to say the least. He intrigued her and he was a really brilliant man, who amazed her as she might confuse him.
After about five minutes frantic worrying she came to another large room with an even bigger window.
Stepping towards the window, all she saw was darkness, until she realised that across the gap, there was a long room of science tables, with the lights on and Sherlock and the cabbie were standing opposite each other, both holding pills. Sherlock was holding his to the light as if merely considering it.
Anger boiled up inside her, was he really that reckless?
Some part of her just said YES.
Reaching behind her, she grasped the handle of her favourite gun, caressing the smooth surface and loaded the magazine, smiling as the familiar sound hit her ears.
As if in slow motion, she saw Sherlock lower his hand and the pill to his mouth.
The cabbie was taunting him.
You freaking moron, she thought as she aimed the gun precisely at the cabbie, deciding to shoot not to kill at once, in case (as she presumed Sherlock might) the detective wanted to question him.
Bracing herself for the familiar sense of triumph and pity for the unknown serial killer, she aimed for the man's shoulder, and praying that Sherlock didn't move in the bullet's path.
The pill was almost at Sherlock's lips and without another second wasted, Julia pulled the trigger and the bullet shot through both windows and hit the man accurately in the shoulder, close enough to his heart to die, but far away enough to survive a few more minutes for some final words.
Julia removed the magazine and buried the gun back into the back of her jeans, fleeing the scene as Sherlock turned to face her across the way. She knew he hadn't spotted her. She was halfway down the corridor.
Julia remained out of the way until she saw Sherlock sitting on the door to the back of the ambulance. She saw him bat away the pink shock blanket several times until Lestrade came over.
She spotted them talking and then made eye-contact with him and she saw him spot mid-rant.
Sherlock paused and she winked at him, her hands folded behind her back and looking around innocently.
After a minute or two she heard Sherlock walking towards her and she looked up at him, still scarf-less.
"Hello Sherlock, darling" she smiled. He rolled his eyes at the nick-name.
"Donovan, as much as I despise her, has just finished telling me what happened. Two pills…dreadful business." She said lightly.
Sherlock just looked at her, amazed.
"What?" she asked, defensive.
He lowered his voice, so it was dark and husky "Good shot."
Julia tried not to look too proud. "Yes, good shot…through that window…"
"Well you'd know" he said, a hint of pride in his tone. She nodded.
"Oh!" she said and opened her bag. "I forgot."
Sherlock looked at her curiously but smirked when she withdrew his blue scarf from the unfamiliar bag. Julia then got on her tip-toes and fastened it gently around his long pale neck.
"Must you mother me?" he asked, bemused.
"Someone has to look out for you Sherlock" she said simply, her hands twitched slightly. Then she smiled warmly at him. "I don't mind filling in that role."
He looked at her strangely "Are you alright?"
She nodded "I'm fine."
"Well you have just killed a man" he said, reminding her of his earlier comment. He grimaced as he seemed to as well.
Julia sighed and looked at the ground, contemplating her words. She looked up again, chewing her lip absent-mildly. "I've…killed people before, not on my side when I haven't been able to save them-" she gulped loudly, but she forced the images away. "-but there were times when I had to kill…and I only killed when I really had to. One of my…strong moral beliefs…as it were."
Sherlock unlocked her hands from behind her and clasped them in his un-gloved ones. She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm…sorry about what I said earlier" he muttered, clearly so only she could hear him. "I didn't really think it would offend you much, mainly because I say things like that to myself before, when I was on my own. But I'm thankful…that I've now got somebody to throw ideas onto."
Her warm dazzling smile returned, looking much like she did when she'd realised she could walk properly. Once more, she leaned up and kissed his cheek, gentler than before and winked at him.
"Apology accepted. Back to your earlier comment, he wasn't really a nice man was he?"
Sherlock felt his cheeks heat up and tried to ignore it. He presumed that she wouldn't see it in the darkness.
"No" he murmured as he released her arms and offered her his, and she took it. "He was a bad cabbie as well, you should have seen the route he took to get us here!"
Julia giggled and covered it up when some police officer looked at her oddly.
"Stop it" she scolded him. "Can't giggle on a crime scene!"
"You're the guilty party" he said lightly.
Julia stopped and glared at him. "You were going to take that damm pill, weren't you? I could see it in your face!"
Sherlock noted how tense and…concerned she was about him. He knew he was reckless, but how else do you catch these people? "No I wasn't" he lied quickly. "I was bidding my time, I knew I could rely on you to get there."
She glowered but she was flattered that he trusted her with such things. "Don't play dumb with me Sherlock Holmes, that's what you do, you risk your life to prove your clever!"
Sherlock had the grace to look slight guilty. "Why would I do that?" he asked jokingly.
"Because you're an idiot" she said, grinning cheekily at him.
"OI, SHERLOCK!"
"Detective Inspector Lestrade" Julia said firmly, in her military and doctor-voice "To my knowledge, this man hasn't eaten for several days, so if you want him alive for the next case you throw at him, then I suggest you let him eat some food."
"Who are you to say about his diet?" Lestrade asked, still firmly yet curious.
She exchanged a look with Sherlock. "I'm his doctor."
"And only a right fool argues with his doctor" Sherlock supplied.
Lestrade sighed, rubbing his eyes "Ok, I'll pull you two in tomorrow. Off you trot!"
"Thank you Greg" Julia said and slipped her arm with Sherlock's again and they continued walking.
"We'll have to avoid the court case-" he carried on.
"Don't worry, it's all sorted." She said simply and Sherlock turned around to see his elder brother smiling disdainfully at him.
"Ah, Dr Watson" the man said smiling at her…which was quite scary.
Julia turned to Sherlock and grinned.
Sherlock went to introduce them. "Mycroft, what an un-pleasant surprise. Julie, this is…"
"- your older brother" she finished for him. "Good to put a name to a face" she said, shaking Mycroft's extended hand.
Sherlock's face was confused but then he rolled his eyes, his face relaxing "I should have seen that coming, shouldn't I?"
"Good to see you survived without bodily injury again, dear brother" Mycroft said in his normally drawl. He was twirling his umbrella again.
"What are you doing here?" Sherlock demanded.
"As ever, I'm concerned about you" Mycroft stated.
"And personally, I think he's telling the truth" Julia muttered quietly.
"Always so aggressive" Mycroft said sadly. "Didn't it occur to you that me and you are on the same side?"
"Oddly enough, NO!" Sherlock said. Julia snorted in amusement.
"We have more in common than you realise Sherlock" Mycroft stated. "Dr Watson here, I met her earlier this evening and when she telephoned a short while ago, she had already made the link between us."
Sherlock looked at Julia and she blushed.
"What's the matter with your new flatmate worrying over you?" Mycroft asked. "She phoned me when she thought your life was in danger-" he looked sharply at Julia, who held her breath.
"-you shall not be punished" he said and she let out a sigh of relief.
Sherlock was utterly confused now. "What are you two on about?"
Julia spoke "I had a feeling what was happening, as you may have guessed, I am slightly more observant and…better at making links than someone, like Lestrade. I realised that you – given that I've spent the better part of this evening in your company – that you are quite a reckless person. Not that I complain of course." She gave him another smile.
"Not using your crutch?" Mycroft asked, looking down at her feet.
"Yes well" she muttered. "I found an antidote to my problem."
Mycroft raised an eyebrow but she ignored him.
"Putting on weight again?" Sherlock sneered.
"Losing it, in fact" Mycroft replied smartly.
Julia cleared her throat. "I shall no doubt see you soon Mycroft, but I think I need a good night's sleep tonight and given this evening's events, I am guaranteed one. Goodnight!"
And with that, she started to walk away from the two brothers, only to have Sherlock catch up with her three seconds later.
"What's your antidote?" he whispered.
She rolled her eyes. "You want me to say it? Your clever enough, you tried to outwit a cabbie with two pills exactly the same! They were both poison!"
Sherlock gaped and then closed his mouth.
"You never cease to amaze me" he muttered, slipping his arm around hers again.
She looked at him thoughtfully and smiled.
"So you did get shot then?" he asked.
"Oh yeah" she said, holding his arm for some support, her lack of sleep catching up on her. "in the shoulder.
"The left one."
She smirked "Lucky guess!"
"I never guess!"
"Yes, you do!"
None of the two partners heard what Mycroft said as they departed the scene, hearing their pleasant bickering.
"Sir, shall we go?" Anthea suggested.
"Interesting lady, that army doctor" Mycroft said thoughtfully.
Anthea rolled her eyes.
"She could be the making of my brother…or possibly make him worse. But none the less, we'll upgrade their surveillance, Grade 3, active."
"Sorry sir" Anthea said, confused. "Who's status?"
Mycroft smiled pleasantly. "Sherlock Holmes and Dr Julia Watson!"
This is NOT the end; I have several episodes to go at least! This may be one of the only episodes that I will use a lot of the quotes/content from. Mainly because we've all wanted to know what a different first impression can have on a new pairing, especially when Sherlock's involved.
But, this is when; my main key ideas and possibly cases will come in. But I'm glad that quite a few people like the story already! I am extremely thankful of all the reviews and I hope you enjoy it further!
Rurple101 x : D