"Still snowing out there?" Bradstreet greeted Holmes and Watson cheerfully enough as they entered Scotland Yard. "You might want to keep your coats on." He added quickly, as Watson began to unbutton his coat. "The furnace seems to have given out again. No surprise there, as cold as it's been this month."

Watson looked at the Inspector oddly as he refastened the top button on his coat. "Where's your coat, then, Bradstreet?" He asked.

Bradstreet shrugged easily in response. "Hopkins has it." He said with a half embarrassed chuckle. "Lad never can keep warm in this weather."

"Aren't you cold?" Watson wanted to know. Bradstreet shook his head.

"No." He replied. Catching the impatience written across the features of Watson's companion, and trying to recall just when Holmes had started quietly if not entirely patiently waiting for the the doctor to finish exchanging pleasantries with whomever he was talking before calling his attention back to the reason for their visit, Bradstreet asked, "Is there something I can do for you?"

"We're looking for Lestrade." Holmes offered.

"He's in Gregson's office." Bradstreet informed them. He went on to explain before Watson asked.

"Lestrade's office is drafty enough when the furnace is working. Jones office is just as bad, which is why he's in mine."

"Jones and Lestrade vacated their offices because it was cold?" Watson had a hard time imagining either Inspector retreating from his office simply because of the cold.

Then again, the weather outside had been frigid, to say the least, of late.

"Jones already has a cold; he was out in this mess all day." Bradstreet walked with the two men back toward Gregson's office. "Lestrade bullied him into agreeing to take my office while there's no heat, but it backfired on him when Gregson caught him in the act and maintained that if Jones' office was too cold for him them Lestrade's was too cold for him as well."

"And Gregson won?" Watson was impressed.

"Gregson always wins when Lestrade knows he right." Bradstreet chuckled. "Sometimes it takes a while, but eventually Lestrade'll give in."

"You gossip like an old woman." Hopkins said sourly as he stepped into the hall, closing his office door behind him. The lad scowled up at the other Inspector.

Bradstreet was unfazed by Hopkins' foul mood. "Going back out?" He inquired sympathetically.

"Lestrade wants me to round up the vagrants." Hopkins grumbled, shoving his hands into the pockets of a coat that hung from his wiry frame, causing him to look more than a bit like a scarecrow. "Not sure there's any point, with the furnace out." He added darkly.

"Out of the wind and the snow." Bradstreet suggested. "I'll have a kettle on when you get back." He offered, and received a half grateful nod from Hopkins before the lad took off down the hall.

Gregson appeared in his office doorway as the three reached it, sliding out of his coat. "Go help Hopkins." He ordered, throwing his own coat at Bradstreet. "Otherwise I have to send Jones out."

"Bradstreet groaned, but pulled Gregson's coat on. "I promised Hopkins a hot cup of tea when he got back." He suggested. Gregson rolled his eyes.

"We ought to keep the kettle on in this weather." He grumbled.

"Then make the rookie do it." Lestrade snapped from inside Gregson's office as Bradstreet grinned and retreated.

Gregson actually looked over his shoulder in surprise. "Really?" He asked.

"I can't feel my hands." They heard Lestrade retort.

"Take an old pair of gloves and cut the fingers out of them." Gregson suggested carelessly, his initial surprise now either hidden or simply extinguished.

"I don't have any old gloves, you know that." Lestrade grumbled. Gregson sighed and beckoned for Holmes and Watson to follow as he stepped back into his office. He walked over to his desk and sat back down in his chair.

Lestrade had a chair on the other side of Gregson's desk and had apparently claimed a corner of the other Inspector's desk as well.

"Company." Gregson informed Lestrade, who looked up and almost sighed as he caught sight of Holmes.

"Mr. Holmes," he greeted the two, "Doctor. May I help you?"


Disclaimer: Sherlock and the boys do not belong to me.