Author's Note:For those of you who liked Kyle... I'm so sorry Putting this in bold lettering because it's important. DO NOT READ THE TRIGGER WARNING IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS! HOWEVER IF YOU FEEL IT WOULD BE IN YOUR BEST INTEREST PLEASE DO READ IT.
TRIGGER WARNING: Rape and sexual harassment descriptions.
Sam smoothed her hair down and stared into the mirror. She was wearing the dress and the most comfortable pair of heels she owned. Which wasn't hard considering she only had two pairs. But lack of options aside, she had tried tonight. Her amber eyes were darkened with liner and mascara. Her usually pin straight hair had been loosely curled and framed her face in a way that made her angles sharper. And her lips were a shade darker than usual, lipstick to cover the raw redness of her bad habit. Sam tore her eyes away from the mirror and turned her attention to her bag. She checked its contents to she what she could get rid of to make it look less bulky. After some digging she removed all pens but one, a water bottle she didn't remember packing, and a cluster of papers from work. She kept; a small copy of Jane Eyre, a sort of security blanket in an unfamiliar situation, her regular notepad, and her mobile just in case Sherlock needed her. Sam put the bag on her shoulder and rexamined herself in the mirror. The bag had gotten considerably flatter, mission accomplished. Samantha turned away from the mirror, checked the address Kyle had written for her then faced her bedroom door. A deep breath. She turned the doorknob and crossed the threshold.
Sherlock was sitting in his chair reading on his laptop when he heard the footsteps. Clomping, heavy, not her boots or her trainers, heels but not thin ones, wedges. She's unable to walk in heels. The clomping grew louder and as he looked up he stifled a reaction. She was unrecognizable, well to anyone normal. She'd done up her makeup and hair, to his surprise much better than most women he'd met. Who use to cover up things they hate rather than highlight what they had. Idiots, the lot of them.
He opened and closed his mouth several times before clearing his throat and saying, "What time will you be back then?"
She held up nine fingers.
"Okay...good then. Uhm...have fun."
She gave him a small smile and a wave before heading, cautiously, down the stairs and out the door of 221B Baker Street, into the night.
The second the door closed Sherlock lunged from his chair and made a beeline for her bedroom.
Sam had gotten a cab to the restaraunt Kyle had given her the address to. It was forty five minutes away. She certainly wasn't walking all the way. Especially since she couldn't even walk a straight line in the shoes she was wearing. Thank god they'd be sitting most of the night. She let her eyes and mind wander to the night lights of the city, she didn't let herself specualte about the night to come. This was calmest she'd be for the rest of the night and she didn't want it to end too quickly. She pressed her hands into her knees to keep them from shaking, and inhaled deeply.
The cab stopped with a halt and snapped Sam out of her thoughts. They had pulled up in front of a restaurant and pub. She paid the cabbie and cautiously put one heeled foot on the pavement outside the door and managed to walk to to the front door. When she entered the dimly lit foyer she saw Kyle sitting on one of the seats where they put waiting parties. He stood when he saw her and gave a wave. Sam smiled and went up to him.
"Sup' Clark? You ready?"
She gave a nod.
Kyle approached the desk and got them a table. Once they were seated Sam felt the nerves she'd tried so hard to flush out of her system come slamming back. The restaurant was dark, and a bit loud, especially by the pub area. Loud laughter and clinking roared across the space like thunder.
"So...you got your notepad?"
She nodded and pulled it from her bag along with her pen.
So, what do we do now?
"We could order drinks if you'd like."
As if she had read Kyle's mind a waitress appeared beside their table.
"Can I get you two some drinks?"
Kyle gave a charming smile and said,"Yeah I'll take a pint and she'll have...what do you want?"
She scribbled quickly feeling the waitress's confused stare on her neck.
Kyle leaned over and scanned the paper.
"Tea's fine for her."
A sigh from Sam.
Sherlock entered Sam's room slowly, scanning the space as whole first before looking around. Her bed was made as usual, the laptop on her desk was closed with a book lying open next to it, there was a scrap of paper lying next to it. He turned on her lamp and walked over to the desk. He picked up the piece of paper and read the address scrawled on it. Definitely not her handwriting, man's hand, right handed, probably low paying job based on the ink used. Most likely the address for Sam's date. He quickly sat down in her desk chair and opened the laptop, promptly guessed her password, and searched the address. The search led to the restaurant's website which he scanned over in a matter of minutes. He clicked back to the search results and scrolled down a bit more. There was a newspaper article with the restaurant's name in bold. He clicked on it.
Young Girl Found Unconscious in Alleyway by Sebastian's Restaurant and Pub
The date was marked three years ago. He skimmed the article quickly. There was no picture of the victim and at the time the article was written she was still considered unidentified. He read some more and discovered that she had been taken to a hospital shortly after she'd been found. A victim of severe physical and sexual assault, the article read. Bruises to the face and abdomen, and bruises and grip marks around the wrists.
He skipped through the parts about speculation of what might have happened, all ridiculously predictable, and skipped to the end of the article.
This isn't the first time a incident of this nature has occurred at Sebastian's. Two years prior another woman was found in a similar position behind the restaurant itself. However she'd been dead for several hours when she was found. These stories have led to Sebastian's being the center of rumors that might be linked to other incidents in the past.
Sherlock exited the search and shut the laptop. He left the room grabbing his coat and scarf in one swift movement. He thundered down the stairs and onto the street. He hailed a cab.
"Sebastian's Pub, the fastest way possible. Go now!"
Kyle was having trouble reading what she'd wrote. He squinted at it for a few minutes while Sam stared at him from across the table. All she'd written was, Okay. He was beginning to sway where he sat. All nervousness from before had faded and been replaced with cautious concern. Three empty pint glasses sat next to Kyle as he drank a fourth. When he'd initially asked for the second a half hour ago Sam had wanted to protest, but she wouldn't be able to write fast enough. Another setback to pen over voice.
She picked at her food and tried to eat some, but the meat she'd been given tasted rather suspect, plus her mouth was dry. She forced the bit of beef (or whatever it was) down her throat and took a sip of the water she'd asked for when the waitress had offered her a pint as well. She subtly checked her mobile to look at the time. Only 8:15 she'd told Sherlock she'd be home by nine or ten at the latest. If she came home any earlier he'd have a deduction field day.
"I have to use the loo," he slurred to her.
She nodded and and he stumbled out of his chair and headed in the general direction of the restrooms. The waitress reappeared.
"You want some dessert or something?"
Sam shook her head and gestured that the waitress should just clear the table. As she began gathering plates they both heard a crash. They looked up to find Kyle arguing with a waiter he'd clearly smashed into. Sam jumped out of her seat and grabbing him, pulled him away from the mess of shattered plates and scattered food. On the way out she dropped a twenty pounds on the table where they'd been sitting with some interest, hoping it would cover the meal and the damage and dragged Kyle outside.
Holding the stumbling man up Sam scanned the streets for cabs. When she saw headlights she raised her hand for him to stop. The can blew right past. No point if she couldn't actually call out to it. She frantically scanned the streets for anyone she could possibly get to call it for them, when she felt an arm around her waist. She turned to be met face to face with a droopy eyed Kyle.
"Let's get out of here," he mumbled.
Sam gave him a frantic look to say "I'm trying to!"
But it didn't register in his fuzzy mind because he put is other arm around her waist and guided her to a dark corner on the side of the building. Sam tried to push him away but he kept coming back.
"See? Romantic, like one of your books. In a dark alley..."
Sam tried to crane her neck to see if there was anyone on the street to see what was happening, but Kyle's hand was already stroking the side of her collar bone.
"...you look so gorgeous tonight. Much better than other times."
He tried to lean in for a kiss but she pushed his face away. He pulled back.
"I'm just saying you actually look sexy now."
His hands moved lower, Sam's breath began to shorten.
"I know that your innocent act isn't even real."
He forced her hands behind her back then pressed her into the brick wall so they couldn't get free.
"All girls know how to do that. I should know, I've had tons."
His hands began sliding down her body, aiming for the hem of her dress.
Sam tried to pull her hands out from between her back and the wall but he'd pushed her so tight she could feel the brick scraping her knuckles.
Kyle's hands her running up her leg now. She was trembling and her mind was a blur. Her head hurt in everyway possible as a memory came flooding back.
"Shut up!" he'd said. "Why do you always have to scream?" He pushed his rough hand down over her mouth grinding the back of her head into the gravel below.
Kyle pushed her down to the ground, she kicked at him but he pinned her hands over her head. In a blind panic she opened her mouth to scream, hoping that maybe miraculously her voice wouldn't fail her this time. But no sound emerged. Her heart began slamming hard against her chest she thought she could see it through her skin.
"Good thing you can't say anything. Sometimes it ruins the mood."
The sound of a zipper opening made her start and she began to make unrecognizable sounds behind his scratchy fingers. Tears streamed down the side of her face.
Another zipper noise, this one was real. Sam felt the tears again as her mind kept shouting "This cannot be happening again!" She closed her eyes and tried to leave the world behind when she heard a loud impact noise and the sound of a body on pavement. She opened her eyes to see the silhouette of man in a long coat. She embraced him.
Sherlock curled his arm around Samantha's waist to support her, she was shaking so hard she couldn't sit up straight. Her breathing was ragged and he heard small wheezing noises. More hope for the voice.
He heard the man he'd punched groan and he immediately turned to Sam. He held her in front of him and looked her deep in the eyes.
"We need to go alright? Now."
He grabbed her bag from the ground where she'd dropped it and didn't let go of her as he brought her to the street to hail a cab. While watching he noticed she was still shivering. She had no coat.
"Are you cold?" he asked quickly.
Before she could answer in any way he took off his coat and put it on her shoulders.
"Keep that tight around you it's below 20."
He hailed a cab and didn't stop talking to her.
"You get in that side I'm going to go around...careful...take your shoes off and pull your feet up under you...like that yes...keep that coat tight...I'll be around in sec."
He paid the cabbie in advance and said "Baker Street as fast as you can this woman is ill."