Chapter 14: What happens in Speedy's

Dear Alice,

I am worried about you.

I haven't heard from you in months.

How are you my dear girl?

Please send me word that you're OK, I am afraid your father is not the one you thought he would be.

If he has disappointed you, please don't stay there.

I'd rather have you here and be happy than unhappy with him.

Please let me know how you are doing my dear girl, I am worried sick.

Your principal also contacted me, he says that if you want to return for your GCLE's and you're A-levels, you can, but you have to come by his office within a fortnight. Please do so my dear girl. I don't want you to throw away that brilliant brain of yours because you lack the papers.

I send a train ticket with this letter, there is no date on it. Use it. Come home.

Lots and lots of love,

Your mother

Alice looked at the papers in her hand, one of them was a train ticket. Back home. She was home. She was sitting in Speedy's after lunch. There was a couple in the back and a man who was reading his newspaper at a table in front of her. Why was her mother so worried? She just didn't understand.

Of all the things, she did one thing almost every day: Send her mother a text telling her that everything was allright, that she was happy. She had been applying to universities lately, so maybe she had been too busy to send a text every single day, but at least she tried. Sherlock had told her as much. He would have quit a long time ago. They had met only a few times, Sherlock had been busy with some small cases. Alice didn't know whether Dr. Watson actually helped him, or whether he was left out of her father's perfect bubble.

She had given him back his skull, maybe not her best move when it came to involving Dr. Watson. At least Sherlock had been happy when he saw the skull again, he couldn't stop grinning. Alice stared back at the letter and the train ticket, which she had both laid down on the table.

She could go home, make her mother happy. But why would she? She was happy here too, maybe even happier. She had all she needed. She could read and study, play the violin as much as she wanted, she could bake and cook and nobody would ever talk to her if she didn't want to talk. She is startled when she suddenly hears a voice behind her.

"Alice, look what the postman just brought in."

Alice looked up and behind her, she didn't notice the eyes of the man in front of her glancing over his newspaper. Mrs. Hudson came in, waving a few envelopes. Alice looked at them as she dropped them on the table. They were all official letters. University letters. Alice looked up at Mrs. Hudson, who was looking back with a hopeful smile on her face.

'Go on dear, open them.'

Alice looked at the envelopes, which had been dropped right on top of her mothers' letter.

'I don't know, maybe it was just a stupid idea.'

Mrs. Hudson shook her head.

'Nonsense dear. Just open them, it will all be fine, no matter what the outcome.'

She smiled one last time before she turned back to the counter and disappeared behind it. Alice picked up all the letters and looked at them. She was staring like she could look straight through them, hoping she could read them through the envelope.

'University acceptance?'

Alice's head shot up, she was looking straight into the eyes of John Watson, who had put down his newspaper. She stared straight at him. He had been out in the morning, he wanted to get out of Baker Street. Yet he was tired. Her father did tell her that he was busy with some sort of experiment. Quite possibly one to keep John Watson awake. But he didn't seem to mind, he seemed to be used to it. That could not be just because of these past few nights. He was used to it because of his missions in Afghanistan, night shifts, patrols, nightly attacks, all of it. He didn't miss it. He was still here, and here, sitting in this lunchroom, safe from the danger upstairs, he was, or so it seemed, bored. Alice smiled, not because she was greeting John Watson, but because of what she had just figured out. He, however, took it as a greeting. He stood up, folded his newspaper, took that and his cup of coffee and sat down opposite Alice.

'You should just open them you know, no use in waiting.'

Alice, who had followed John's every move, noticed instantly that the limp was gone. Somewhere between their meeting almost two months ago and now, John Watson had lost his psychosomatic limp. Then she stared back at the envelopes in her hands. John looked at her more intently, she could feel it. But she didn't know what to say.

'I am John Watson by the way, I live next door in 221B.'

I know. Alice didn't say a word. She looked up, a little awkwardly. She didn't want to be awkward. Why was she awkward?

'Alice. I help Mrs. Hudson sometimes in the lunchroom. I have seen you around before.'

That was the truth, though she had not seen him in the way he expected it. John looked down at the letters and then at Alice again. She could see the thought dawn on him.

'I'm quite young to receive university letters, am I not?'

She wanted to slap herself. Shut up. Just for once. Why do you have to show off immediately. He already thought that you were young, don't show off what you can. He was observant this dr. Watson, it only took a little bit more of that ability to figure out who she was, considering the resemblance. For a moment she stared at him, hoping he didn't notice. But then he just nodded.

'Yes, yes you do.'

Thank God, not observant enough.

'I… I am very smart for my age.'

She was right, partially. She was smart in certain fields, and terrible in others. John smiled and he tried to look at her, but he failed.

'Just open them.'

Alice stared at the letters again, then she dropped them on the table and grabbed one. She tore it open. She had done GCLE's and A-levels at one of the universities to show her abilities, as well as another test to show her knowledge of medicine. She had taken the GCLE and A-level results to all the other universities. They all asked her to do the medicine knowledge test over and over again. She knew all the answers, they had not been hard, maybe she had just studied too much in advance. She unfolded the piece of paper and read.

Dear Miss Reynolds,

We are glad to inform you that you have been accepted….

She dropped the letter. Her jaw had dropped alongside with it. John looked at her.

'And?'

Alice looked at the pile of letters. This was a lucky draw, this could be right. What kind of sick joke was this? She picked up another letter and opened it.

Dear Miss Reynolds,

We are glad to inform you that you have been accepted….

Drop. Pick up.

Dear Miss Reynolds,

We are glad to inform you that you have been accepted….

Drop. Pick up.

Dear Miss Reynolds,

We are glad to inform you that you have been accepted….

Alice dropped another letter. Three universities, three acceptances, this seemed to be impossible. John looked at Alice's face and picked up one of the letters, curious why this girl was dropping and opening them one by one, followed by dropping them and opening another. He looked at a couple of them before he looked at Alice.

'You have been accepted into all of them?'

Alice nodded slowly, she didn't quite know what to say. She was dumbfounded. She knew she had knowledge, but she would have expected at least one rejection for either her age or her anti-social behaviour. John leaned forward a little bit.

'So? Which one do you prefer?'

Alice focused on his face, but then looked down at the letters in front of her. Somewhere hidden underneath was the letter from her mother, accompanied by the train ticket. Someday she would use it, but that day was not near, because she had been building a life here for herself, and she seemed to be successful.

'I really have no idea, I expected rejection from all but one so that I wouldn't have to make the choice.'

John laughed genuinely, one of the genuine laughs she had heard so close to her in months, if she didn't count the occasional giggle from Mrs. Hudson. It made her smile. Then John put his finger on one of the letters.

'I'd say that one is quite good, but maybe I am biased since I went there myself.'

Alice looked at the letter John was pointing at and picked it up. She knew already that he was a doctor, but John was seemingly surprised about the lack of response on Alice's part so she smiled, in a weak attempt to make the situation seem less awkward. She failed. She kept on looking at the piece of paper, hoping that John would leave. He looked like he wanted to leave, but he remained in the chair for quite some time. Suddenly he got up from his seat and put his hands on the back of it.

'Well, hopefully you find the right university. Whatever you choose, good luck.'

Alice kept on looking at the letter. This might just be the one for her, even if she only chose it because John Watson told her to. When she noticed John standing behind his chair, searching the right words to say, she looked up.

'Thank you.'

John smiled, a little unsure, but it was a genuine smile nonetheless.

'Anytime.'

He tapped the chair once and wanted to leave, but he didn't really move. Alice's eyes were still fixed on him. The situation was becoming more awkward by the second.

'So, maybe I'll see you here again?'

Alice grinned, John was trying to make some sort of legitimate goodbye… to a 15-year-old. It sounded funny. Not that she really responded, she was just sitting there, grinning. She quickly nodded.

'Yeah, maybe.'

John nodded again, still trying to get away, but not really making a move.

'Bye…'

John shot up, seemingly startled by the quick release from this awkward conversation which wasn't really a conversation.

'Yeah… bye…'

Without saying another word, John Watson turned around and walked out of Speedy's, walking past the window to the door next to it, leading to 221B Baker Street. He looked back one more time, just to see Alice looking at him, observing him. Observing his awkwardness and his failing ability to make have a decent conversation with her and his anger towards himself for that failure. It made her smile. He was an open book to her. Then she turned back to her letters. Not long after John had left, the bell from the door was heard again. Alice glanced up as someone pulled back the chair at her table and she immediately wiped away all the letters and put them in her bag.

'Something to hide?'

Alice grinned slyly at the man sitting in front of her.

'There are things that do not concern even you Mr. Holmes.'

Mycroft snorted. Alice couldn't help but grin even wider.

'I understand you do not like me around your brother Mr. Holmes, but you cannot stop me.'

Mycroft continued to look at her, then he started to grin.

'About that. Since my brother left, I have not lost sight of him. You seem to be quite close to him. You even seem to live in the same place. Only until Dr. John Watson moved in.'

Alice hid her surprise behind her sternness, not showing any emotion, something that seemed to startle Mycroft. But he wasn't done with his little speech.

'He kindly refused the offer I made to give me information on Sherlock Holmes.'

'And I am not going to give it to you either.'

Mycroft stopped in his tracks, staring straight into Alice's eyes, who now leaned forward.

'Look Mr. Holmes. I might not look like much to you, but I am smarter than you give me credit for. No, I don't want your deal, even though I am not that wealthy and still studying. No, I won't do it ever. No, your brother has not been using drugs. Yes, we still meet. Yes, I still live in Baker Street. No, I don't live with Sherlock and John Watson. Yes, I know John Watson, and finally, no, you don't need to know who I am. And don't worry, you won't find anything, not even you, because you won't know where to look.'

Alice rose from her chair, grabbed her bag, swung it over her shoulder and passed Mycroft Holmes.

'I will find out who you are, you don't know who I am if you think I won't.'

Alice stopped, she turned towards him and started to whisper. There was nobody around to stop her, and she was not intending to do so on her own accord.

'I know you are Sherlock Holmes's big brother, seven years his senior to be exact. I know you have a secret, one that you don't even want your brother to know about. You smoke, have smoked for years now. You actually caused Sherlock to start smoking too, even though he has quit now for the time being. I know you smoke several different brands and various tar heights, meaning you don't care what you smoke as long as you can smoke, quite the addiction you have there.

You are worried about your brother because you feel responsible for him. But you are not responsible enough to actually keep an eye on him aside from using spies or security cameras to spy on him, so nothing really personal. Your wealthy because you are prepared to pay a reasonable amount of money to spy on your little brother. If you are so loaded, you can always give me a voluntary contribution if you wish, I will not mind. You are worried because of Sherlock's drug addiction. You more than once saved his life, and that scarred you too.

But none of that is shown on the outside. All you show on the outside is sternness, wonder where Sherlock got that from? You are smart and you use it to your advantage in government. But you see mr. Holmes, you are addicted, just like Sherlock. You are addicted to your work. You are ice cold on the outside and you will never show anyone any emotion whatsoever because you think they are inferior to your great brain.

Did I miss anything?'

She might just as well have said her name, this speech was the greatest giveaway she could have possibly given about herself. Mycroft stared at her for a moment, but Alice was tired of listening to Sherlock's stuck up brother who thought everyone and everything was inferior to him.

Without saying anything else, she walked out of Speedy's and past the door to 221B Baker Street to escape Mycroft's look. But it did not take her long to turn around and through avoiding the window to Speedy's, she entered the house and she went back to her own studio, leaving Mycroft completely stunned and, maybe for the first time in his life, genuinely confused.