A Cathartic Carriage Ride

Slender brown paws danced and absently toyed with the lavender feathers of the rather large brim hat laid in the owner's cotton skirt covered lap, drenched in flowers, feathers, and violet in color and just simply lovely in all around arrangement and taste. Though at the moment the owner of said lap could not neither register that nor care about one of her precious hats, for her mind played a constant loop of the startlingly red alleyway, and she was lost in that damned image. It was not the first gore she had seen, but it was not her hundredth in any sense. She was not a gentle mouse by nature, but a brass and slightly loud one, but she was still a mouse of a kind character, and she hated to think what kind of horror the mouse in the alleyway had experienced... But, yet she could not help but think of it, a frown her face as she felt the carriage move at a slightly uneven gait, almost clumsy in its movements as she rode it to Scotland yard. She shook her head, trying to dismiss that horrible image. She did so with little success, and sighed tiredly.

To distract herself, the young female mouse looked around her with a slight nervous twitch of her left brow, swallowing over and over because her mouth didn't seem to get quite enough moisture. Her light blue eyes darted nervously back and forth between her silent and not so companions, noting that both her husband and his insufferable partner where talking in quiet tones, heads bowed together. Genevieve Dawson reflected that this was not out of the ordinary, nor was the way the spoke in a way that she could hear but not understand a single word of their speech, and only understand the grave tones in which their deep voices spoke in. No, what was out of the ordinary was the silent girl who watched her the two men with sorrowful and dark blue eyes.

They were such a strange eyes, reflected Genevieve to herself, switching her absent minded movements to play with the small, slender emerald ring on one of her fingers. They were large, and like she had stated before when she had first laid eyes on her were doll like in proportion, as was the rest of the serious girl's face. A face at the moment, she noticed with some surprise looked regretful, and nervous to some degree, she also noticed with some surprise that those odd eyes of her's were solely rested upon on the rather annoying and amusing Basil of Baker street who would on occasion look up to meet the Miss. Flaversham's eyes, lock for a few moments, and then flicker back to her David's face. How odd, indeed reflected Genevieve, for she could sense a sort of tension between the two, and in fact had sense that tension the moment she had laid eyes on the pair of them together for the first time...

Genevieve, despite the situation could not help but allow herself to smile, if only a fraction of the amount she usually would. She was nowhere as near as intelligent as Basil (she doubted anyone was), nor was she as leveled headed as her husband, and though since her youth of growing with two plant specialists had granted her a knack for herbs, something which she had no doubt either of the men in front of her could learn if they bothered too, she did know something that neither would ever really be able to learn with as much ease as she did, for in the end, she was a woman, and things like this came naturally for her, as what women did was watch, and use whatever they saw to help them... For as a woman, as a mouse really, Genevieve since her birth had a certain gift of being able to read anyone who crossed her path, and though as stoic as the ones in front of her could be, she read them as easily as a true fortune teller could read your palm. And though it was not odd for Genevieve to divulge into reading the people around her, it was odd for her to do so in such a stressful situation.

Her David was by far the easiest to examine. Seven or so years of marriage made it come easy to her, and she could read David like an open book... His habits were all too known to her, and she smiled again at the endearing nature of most of them. Though at the moment by the slight twitch of his paws and slight tapping of his foot clued her in to an emotion that he was often partaking in... This time this held no endearing tone, for it was simply a way to express that he was nervous, and a little disturbed by this case. It did not take much for a case to disturb her husband, especially a murder case, but this was was especially getting under his skin. She frowned. It was underneath her skin as well, this case, and she did not like it one bit, and found a sense of forbidding enter her already queasy stomach.

Genevieve shook her head violently, taking away her silly thoughts and focusing on reading once again the people around her. She moved on to the only other person in the cab that she truly knew. Basil, in the seven or so years was someone she had come to know well, and knew that he too was disturbed by this case, as they all were, but all in all, was calmer than her husband, and somewhat strangely smug. She knew that by his slight smile, and his twitching eyes, and the slight tenancy for pushing his now to long hair out of his emerald eyes. Emerald eyes that came to flicker again to the girl sitting next to her, before returning to her husband. Her lips twitched in dry amusement. Now that was something else... Did anyone but her is the cab know that Olivia Flaversham and Basil of Baker street had a...Wanted to... Well, she couldn't think of an accurate way of even thinking it in her mind without being a bit crass, and couldn't help but think that they wanted to jump each other's bones. Genevieve suppressed a snort, eyes rolling. That, she felt was going to come and bit them in the arse in one way or another, because of the respected age differences, and the fact that they lived in the same home at the moment... She shook her head again and focused on the girl beside her.

Olivia Flaversham, she felt was the new element in this case, in their lives. And she was someone else for Genevieve to read... Fortunately for her, the girl known as Olivia Flaversham was easy to read as well, for though she was somewhat of a stiff, the girl was a very expressive stiff person. She was hesitant, as if she shouldn't dare show emotion... Her paws twisted in her lap, and her eyes though somewhat steady on the men in the carriage, would flicker back and forth from them to her lap, and her mouth would open once in a while as if she was about to say something, but couldn't quite dare to. She would then bit her lip to prevent herself from talking at all. And then repeat. This, at least to Genevieve, could never do.

"Miss. Flaversham, is there something you like to say?" she asked her pointedly, brows raised.

Olivia herself froze as all of the pairs of eyes in the carriage locked on her, the icy blue eyes, the gentle doe, and the piercing emerald eyes that filled her with shame. She looked down at her paws for what felt like the millionth time and looked up to stare into the emerald eyes. She cursed herself as she felt tears gather in her own eyes. She hated crying... She bit her lower lip, letting out a sad sigh. She felt her face flush and she hiccuped. Olivia almost wanted to laugh at Basil's shocked face, but didn't dare to, and said aloud what she been wanting to say for a while since she had sat down inside the carriage.

"I... I... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... I... I was so rude to you! And to that officer! I... I... Oh... You wouldn't let me do my job, and... And... Oh Basil, I'm just so sorry." she whispered softly, dropping her head into hands.

She had no idea what had come over her, and why on earth she had let herself become so rude, as if she was back in Scotland, where the police force wouldn't accept her any other way. Cold, harsh, demanding. And just quite simply, rude. That was what her time with the Scots had turned her into whenever she worked, and she hated it. You had to be tough they had said, because she was a woman, a girl in there eyes... She didn't want to pretend to be emotionless, and to yell at any male who looked at her the wrong way. Seeing Basil react the way he did to her made her feel off balance, and she felt as if she had just reached a cross road... Did she want to continue the particular line of work when it came to detective work?

If she was honest to herself, she would have to say no... It was not something she had ever relished, nor wanted, but had done to appease both her morbid curiosity and to make sure she was well rounded as a detective... She regretted that, she knew, especially after she had seen Basil's reaction. But, she suppose, she didn't have to work these cases... She was a gentle person by nature, and felt as if she had seen quite enough. But, she resolved that maybe this would be the last murder case in which she would take 'hands on' approach. She was shocked when she felt tears slip down her cheeks, into her hands.

It had been a long time, she then reflected as she sobbed quietly in her hands since she had cried, and really cried. It had also been a long time since she had enjoyed herself, since she had been able to truly relax, and her brief stay with Basil was already affecting her in ways that she had a never even guessed. She felt... So... Happy, and just so much at peace with him around, and it was wonderful. Those few brief moments of just peace and banter before that wretched John Doe had made Olivia realize that she was just a young woman, one who was smarter than most, one that had odd array of skills most would seen unfit for he, and had a job most would frown upon... But she was, still a young woman, and she felt as if coming to London that she had forgotten that fact, and had acted like a bitter old crone. Now that she was in tears, Olivia felt a peace that she hadn't felt in a long time, and sighed softly. She hiccuped again.

"Olivia my dear, dry your tears, you were in a stressful situation, and we disturbed you in your job...We understand." said a soft, gentle voice that belonged to Doctor Dawson.

Olivia felt her a weak smile on her face, and she looked up, glancing into his dark ones. He offered a a handkerchief and Olivia felt as if she was eight years old again, and she delicately took it to dry her tears with as much dignity as she could, as well as blowing her nose softly. She handed it back with another smile, feeling immensely better. She had forgotten on how a good cry could make her feel so much better.

"Thank you." she whispered.

Dawson smiled, winking slightly.

"Olivia, it simply takes me back to give you this."said Dawson in with a laugh, tucking away the handkerchief.

"It was one of the first things you did when you met me." she said softly, laughing with him with the fondness of the past.

Basil himself smiled at the tone of affection he heard in Olivia's voice, and Dawson's.

"I dare say Miss. Flaversham, how do you feel?" asked the quiet voice of Genevieve.

Basil saw Olivia smile widely and truly, eyes red and face just a tad blotchy... It was then that he felt something twist in the pit of his stomach, and it was then that he felt as if someone had hit him with something or another over his head. Something that was very very blunt, heavy and utterly devastating to his cranium. He had mentioned before to Olivia that she was a pretty girl, but seeing her with just after she had cried gave Basil enough to know that she was not merely a pretty girl. He swallowed thickly. How odd, it was if he could not get any oxygen... And he felt distinctively warm.

"I feel fine." said Olivia, tone warm.

"I'm glad." responded Genevieve, patting the young girl with her paw onto her paw.

Olivia laughed softly, and almost joyless sound, but not quite, and it made Basil tense. Especially when Olivia laughed again, though there was true warmth in her tone.

"Thank you Mrs. Dawson..." she said softly again.

The turned to sudden silence. And then Basil glanced at Olivia's paws. They trembled, ever so softly, and she twisted them in her lap to disguise that. He frowned, and then turned to Genevieve.

"Genie, switch seats with me if you please." he demanded.

Genevieve raised an eyebrow, and then gave Olivia a sideways glance before standing up clumsily in the moving carriage to sit next to her husband, turning to him and talking in quiet, private tones. Basil himself sat next to Olivia without another word. He felt her tense, and he frowned, before without even glancing at her through the corner of his eyes, taking her small paw within his own. It was warm, soft and utterly delicate, mostly fine bones that felt like a bird's. She tensed slightly, tugging at her hand. Basil held fast, still not looking at her and clenching his hand ever so softly. She sighed. A soft sound that filled his ears with an almost impossible loudness. She was tense for a few more seconds, and the, so gently that he almost missed it, Olivia squeezed his hand back. Basil smiled. He looked out of the corner of his expressive emerald eyes to look into Olivia's dark blue ones, and noticed that though red and puffy, it did not take away the beauty of them. She smiled.

"Thank you." she whispered softly.

Basil only smiled, turning away from her, feeling the slight bumpy and clumsy movements of the carriage underneath him, and a distinctively warm feeling in his chest.

AN: I do not own this wonderful movie... Can you give me the rights Disney? Pretty please?

Okay, so, its a short chapter I know, but at least its a chapter, man I'm exhausted... I have to tell you, my classes? Easy. My homework? Too much. Sigh... Next chapter should be incredibly long, so wish me luck writing it. I hope I write fast... Anyway, thank you for reading and please review. Because reviews are love and I need a little love... Or a cookie... Darn, now I really want a cookie...