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When he had taken the form of the late Captain he had also done a great deal of research into the man's life, so that he could pass himself off seamlessly as the good doctor.
He had been pleased to note that- upon examining the habits and personality of the younger Holmes brother- he would be able to use that knowledge during this new contract as well.
He made sure to cover his tracks out of the army well- medical files, discharge papers, psychosomatic limp and a tasty therapist he would visit some late night when he wanted something to snack on- as he would be living with a deductive genius- at least a genius by mortal standards- he didn't want to give himself away too early in the game.
After all, that fool Mycroft had put nothing in his carefully worded contract about Sherlock finding out all on his own- he had also left several other juicy loopholes that could be explored at a later date and at his leisure.
But right now he was sitting on a bench, drinking horrible coffee and talking to one of the late John Watson's college friends- who also happened to have direct access to the man he needed to get introduced to.
Nimbly steering the conversation to where he wanted it to go, he waited for the appropriate moment and then repeated the line he had heard said earlier to this man.
"Who would want me as a flatmate?" The bait was taken just as he knew it would be, and 'his old friend' gave a chuckle.
"You know, you're the second person to say that to me today." Hiding his triumphant smirk behind a confused frown he led this round man to where he needed him to go.
"Oh? And who was the first?"
And then he was taken to his first face to face meeting with the man he would be babysitting for the next several years, or decades depending on how long he wanted to draw this out.
SHERLOCKSHERLOCKSHERLOCKSHERLOCK
He had come across an unforeseen side effect in his personal interactions with 'the World's only Consulting Detective': the man was utterly fascinating!
He was rude, inconsiderate, abrupt, filled with a whirlwind of energy and elegant in his movements.
He could almost come to believe the man was a demon in disguise- though a demon would do better at hiding what they were- if he wasn't completely certain the man was mortal.
And the way he had been 'tricked' into leaving his cane at that restaurant to chase down the cab- though it was a bit disappointing when Sherlock had failed to realize that the cabby was the serial killer- was absolutely brilliant, he had even felt something akin to pride in the mortal man's actions at that moment.
So when he shot the cabby later on it had been out of a genuine desire to protect, and not just a need to fulfill his contractual duties.
Yes, Sherlock Holmes would find his newly made friend, Dr. John H. Watson, standing eagerly by his side for years to come- or at least until he grew bored enough to take advantage of one of those loopholes.
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AN: Yes, I know it's short, but I promise that the next chapter will be longer!
And don't believe for a moment that I forgot about this story, I haven't. I've just been busy and this got shoved to the back burner for a while.
I might take a while between updates, but trust me when I say this: I do not abandon stories! I will see this through to the end, I promise you that.
That being said, please tell me what you think. I love reviews, they make me work harder.