Authors note:
First of all, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and adding my story to your favorites. You are all so lovely and I appreciate everything so much. If you have any feedback or ideas for me, feel free to leave it with your review or message it to me. I'd be happy to read it. :)
Secondly, there is a bit of violence in this chapter. It's nothing too graphic and I assume that people expect it with a Sherlock/Wholock fic, but I just wanted to give people a heads up just incase. I rated it T for a reason so just be aware of that if you're sensitive to violence or blood.
Enjoy!
A month and a half after she had offered Sherlock a cigarette in the alley behind Angelo's, Amy was getting ready to go out on her first girls' night since moving to London. She and Mels had been planning one for a while but since Mels was still living in Leadworth, it would be a while until she could save up and visit. So Amy spent most of her time at her flat when she wasn't working. On the rare occasion that she and Rory had coinciding time off, he took her out to where ever she wanted to go. But Amy was still lonely and still waiting for the day the Doctor came and saved her from her drab life.
She had been working at Angelo's for a few months but it took some time for her to fit in with the other girls who worked with her. Amy was outspoken and confident; she wasn't afraid to sit next to a stranger at the bar on her break and sip a pint while she conversed with them. The other girls were much more posh to say the least. Sarah was the one exception. Sarah was at the midway point between Amy and the rest of the girls and successfully became the bridge needed to bring them all together. Eventually the other girls came around to Amy and decided they needed to show her around London properly. They picked a Saturday night that Rory had to work late so Amy wouldn't miss any quality time with him and planned for then. When that Saturday rolled around, Amy was dressing for her night out as Rory was putting on his scrubs. He popped in to the bathroom before leaving to kiss her goodbye as he always did.
"Try not to get too crazy tonight," he joked as he slid his coat on.
"Same goes for you," she replied with a grin knowing that the night shift at the hospital was usually quite dull. On Saturday nights it was just drunks who had too much to drink and managed to get themselves in to some sort of bad situation that caused them to show up in the ER. The one good thing that came from Rory working the night shift was the interesting stories he had to tell the next morning.
"I'll try not to," Rory said and winked. "Don't forget to take your phone with you in case of emergencies."
"I won't. I'll see you when you get home." Amy told him then gave him a quick peck on the lips.
"See you," he said then slid out of the bathroom and went off to work.
Amy left the flat about twenty minutes later and headed to Angelo's to meet up with the girls that were going tonight and to say hello to the ones who weren't fortunate enough to have the night off. Knowing that it was a bit of a walk to Angelo's and that she'd be on her feet most of the night she decided to forgo heels and slid in to a pair of boots instead. Not to mention she was almost six feet tall without wearing any shoes and she didn't feel like completely towering over everyone tonight. As she walked, she wrapped her coat tightly around herself. Even though they were coming up on Spring, the weather showed no signs of it. The cold air nipped at the exposed skin on her face and her legs only covered with a pair of black tights and a bit of her dress. She cursed herself for agreeing to go to some fancy club instead of a pub where she could wear a pair of jeans and for not just taking the tube like a sensible person.
When she got to Angelo's, she quickly hurried inside to give herself as much of a break from the chilly air as she could. Ella and Imogen were waiting for her at the bar, chatting with Summer who was one of the unfortunate ones stuck working. Amy waved and made her way through the maze of tables, saying hello to the customers she recognized. She sat next to Ella who slid a cocktail over to her.
"Sarah's late so we're punishing her by having free drinks made by our coworkers without her," she explained and took a sip of her own drink.
"That'll kill her. You know how much she loves free drinks," Amy replied. Imogen and Ella chuckled.
"A toast to our first real girls' night with Amy!" Imogen declared and held up her glass. Amy and Ella joined in and clinked their glasses against Ella's.
"Are you really having free drinks without me?" Sarah called from the doorway.
"Yes." Imogen replied and took a cheeky sip and peeked at Sarah through her platinum blonde fringe.
"Fine, I'll just go to Opal by myself. I've already got the cab waiting anyway." She replied brazenly then turned and walked back out the door. The three girls at the bar looked at each other excitedly and gulped down their drinks. They said goodbye to Summer and told her to tell the other girls they were sorry they had to leave so soon then hurried outside.
"We're going to Opal?" Ella asked and she bounced up and down in an effort to keep herself warm. Her chocolate brown hair that was pulled back in to a slick ponytail bobbed along with her.
"Yes. Now hurry up. This cabbie is kind of pissed at me for smoking in his car and I don't want to owe him anymore money than I have to." Sarah said pushing them across the street where the cab was parked.
"How did you managed to get us in to Opal?" Imogen asked when they got in to the cab.
"I have my connections." Sarah said and winked at Imogen then leaned over the seats and gave the cabbie the address.
"What's so special about Opal?" Amy asked. The three other women turned at her and stared at her quizzically. All of them seemed completely shocked that she had never heard of the club they were going to. "Did you guys forget I'm from Leadworth?"
"For a moment there we must have because everyone in London knows Opal," Imogen said quickly. Amy wasn't sure if she was trying to make fun of her or just state a fact.
"What Imogen means is we've been wanting to go there for years," Sarah translated. Amy had a feeling that she was sugar coating it but let it go. She didn't want there to be hard feelings between them and ruin the night over what could easily be construed as a communication problem.
"And somehow Sarah managed to get us in!" Ella practically squealed. She grabbed Sarah and pulled her in to a tight hug and kissed her cheek. Sarah laughed and swatted her away playfully.
"So, why are we taking a cab? It would be a short walk." Amy pointed out.
"Because it's cold and why not? I've got money to spend." Sarah shrugged. "And not all of us wore sensible shoes."
oOo
If you walked by Opal during the day, you wouldn't think much of it. It had the elegance of most other old buildings in London but it didn't look particularly interesting. When you walked inside, however, it became a completely different world. In the bar upstairs, everything inside was black or white and the bartenders and waitresses wore bright pastel colored pin-up inspired outfits. Chandeliers made out of single pieces of round crystal each hung by a string were scattered across the ceiling. Everything about the bar was cozy and reminded Amy of Angelo's on a much grander scale. The four women checked their coats then made their way to the bar to order their first round before heading in to the club downstairs. Ella, Imogen and Sarah all ordered fancy cocktails while Amy ordered a pint.
"You're so Scottish," Sarah said as Amy took her first sip.
After they finished off their first round and a shot for good luck, the quartet pushed their way through the ever thickening crowd to the stairs that lead to the club a floor below them. The first set of stairs lead down to the upper balcony of the club. Amy went over to the railing and looked around. The same chandeliers from upstairs were also in the club, framing a enormous disco ball with different colored lights beaming off it. The club was mostly dark except for the bits of refracted light from the disco ball and a few colored lights. Everything in the club was black and silver and it all seemed to be alive. All the silver décor reflected light from some other place in the club and made everything glimmer. Big stone walls with archways lead to different private rooms making it seem as if the club stretched on forever. Eventually Sarah grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her down the next set of stairs to the dance floor to see for herself.
It was barely Saturday night anymore by the time they stepped on the floor and the entire club was packed. People were dancing in tight knit groups from wall to wall. Groups of friends pressed together and swayed with the beat of the music blasting through a stack of huge speakers. Couples were entwined with each other and seemed to be unaware that there was a whole world outside of just them. People were meeting for the first time and sharing drinks and dances. To Amy, everyone there looked important, like the owned businesses or walked the runway at Fashion Week. Most of the men there were wearing expensive looking button up shirts, some of them were still wearing their suit jackets over them, and a pair of designer jeans. A small smile spread across Amy's face. All the men in Opal were dressed like Sherlock Holmes from the waist up. She hadn't thought about him much since the day she talked to him in the alley but now she wondered what he was getting in to tonight to keep his mind occupied. Maybe if she was lucky she'd run in to him chasing a crook through the streets again and tell him how night club chic he was. But she had to admit, Sherlock looked much better in his suits then these men did in theirs.
Sarah lead the group through the crowd of men in button up shirts and women in short cocktail dresses so they were directly beneath the oversized disco ball and started dancing. Ella followed her example and danced with her. Ella's hands held on to Sarah's hips and they swayed together. Imogen was quickly snatched up by a decent looking bloke in a navy blue button up shirt, leaving Amy to fend for herself. She stood near Sarah and Ella and began to rock her hips back and forth to get a feel for the music then threw herself in. Her job as a Kiss-O-Gram only taught her a few things that were useful and lucky for her one of those things was how to dance. She was able to gracefully coordinate the movement of her limbs and hips with ease and how to use her never ending legs to her advantage. Soon enough, a man stepped up behind her and held on to her waist. Amy turned around and placed her hands on his shoulder to make sure there was some distance between them. She didn't mind dancing with him but she wasn't going to let him get the wrong impression. The man didn't seem to mind and stuck around until the end of the song. He kissed her hand and thanked her for the dance and walked away. For a moment she thought she would be dancing alone again until she noticed the queue that had formed around her. With a smile, she pointed at one of her suiters and motioned for him to come and dance. It went on like that until Sarah reached over to Amy and pulled her in.
"I'm absolutely parched. How about another round of drinks?" Sarah shouted over the music.
"Yeah, sure." Amy replied, not entirely sure she even heard her right over the thudding bass.
"I'm going to refresh myself then I'll meet you guys at the bar." Ella told them. Sarah grabbed her and gave her a quick peck before letting Ella go off through the crowd. Amy was a bit shocked. She had no idea that there was something going on between the two of them until she saw them kiss. She didn't even know that they were gay. Sarah laughed at Amy's dumbfounded expression then turned to Imogen to tell her they would be at the bar. Imogen nodded and kept on dancing. Sarah grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her through the crowd and to the stairs. As the night went on, the bar had gotten increasingly busier so Amy and Sarah ordered a couple drinks for themselves and Ella then found an empty booth to sit in.
"So you and Ella?" Amy asked teased. Sarah blushed and took a sip of her drink without saying anything but she didn't have to for Amy to know Sarah was crazy about Ella. "I had no idea you even liked girls! How long have you two been together?" Amy asked.
"Well, funny story. You know how I said this night was about taking you out properly?" Sarah said with a guilty smile across her face. Amy nodded and took a drink of her pint. "Well, I lied. I've liked Ella since she started working at Angelo's a year ago but I didn't know if I was even her type. But when I flirted with her she flirted back, so I decided to give it a shot. She's been talking about this place for months and you were the perfect excuse to take her here and ask her on a proper date."
"She said yes then?" Amy asked eagerly.
"She said yes!" Sarah exclaimed.
"Cheers!" Amy said and touched her glass to Sarah's. "And the next round is on me to celebrate."
"You don't have to do that," Sarah said graciously. Amy tried to tell her she didn't mind at all but Sarah cut her off. "However, you do have tell me where you learned to dance like that."
"I used to be a Kiss-O-Gram before I moved to London," She said, slightly self-conscious. She hadn't told anyone she had met in London about her job in Leadworth. She wasn't ashamed of it, but it wasn't exactly something that she wanted to be known for. London was a fresh start for her and there was no point in letting her past catch up with her if she could help it.
"Is that like a cheap stripper?" Sarah joked.
"Very funny," Amy said and shook her head. "I went to parties and I kissed people in different outfits. It was more of a laugh than anything. But sometimes I had to turn on the charm."
"So you were basically a stripper without the stripping." Sarah said. "That's a bit shit."
"Shut up!" Amy told her and punched her in the arm playfully.
"It's probably for the best that you're not a stripper. All the men in London would leave their wives and girlfriends in the hopes of you having any interest in them." Sarah told her. Amy rolled her eyes at Sarah's extremely exaggerated statement. Sarah chuckled and checked the time on her watch. "Ella is taking forever. I'm going to go make sure she's alright. Wait here, yeah?" she said. She downed the rest of her drink then stood up and headed off, leaving Amy alone at the booth. Amy sipped her drink and looked around the bar. As she scanned the room, a man at the bar caught her eye and smiled at her. He was watching her watch everyone else as he cleaned out glasses from behind the bar. The man was quite handsome. He was tall and lean and dressed in all black. His long dirty blonde hair was combed back and tucked behind his ears and the light of the chandeliers made his hazel eyes look like they were constantly changing colors. The bartender dried the glass he was cleaning then put it away and came out from around the bar. He cut through groups of people and made his way over to Amy's table.
"Mind if I join you?" He asked.
"Not at all." Amy replied.
The man slid in to the booth where Sarah had been sitting then offered his hand to Amy. "I'm Nick," he told her. Amy took his hand and shook it.
"Nice to meet you Nick, I'm Amy." She told him.
"Are you Scottish?" He asked, seemingly surprised by her accent.
She laughed and said, "Yes I am. What gave it away?"
"Well, the red hair was my first indicator but your accent really gave it away," he said then gave her a wink. "We don't get many Scots around here."
"Well that's a shame." She replied with a smirk.
"So what brings you to London?" Nick asked. So Amy explained the very short version of the first eighteen years of her life; she lost her parents when she was seven so she and her aunt moved to Leadworth where she lived until about six months ago. Now she's renting a flat in central London and works as a waitress and bartender at an Italian restaurant. She almost felt guilty leaving out the Doctor considering the huge part he played in her life but it was for the best. She wasn't sure Nick would believe her if she told him that just before she moved to London her imaginary friend came back to save her from an shape-shifting alien prisoner then together they helped save the world from a giant starship hellbent on incinerating the entire planet. Her could feel her heart growing heavy with the weight of missing him so she took two big gulps of her lager.
"What about you? What's your story?" She asked Nick. She hoped that him talking could give her something else to think about besides how badly she missed her Raggedy Doctor.
Nick told Amy about how he grew up in Essex and worked odd jobs long enough to save up money to buy a train ticket to London and pay for a month's rent in a cheap flat somewhere. He got a job at a shop to make ends meet and started going to uni. After a while, he got bored with school so he dropped out, got a proper day job and worked as a bartender at Opal part time.
"What's your day job?" Amy asked.
"Basically just office work." He told her. "I do a lot of running around for my boss."
"Sounds dreadful." She replied and finished off her drink.
"Do you want me to get you something else to drink? On me, of course." He said and took her glass. Before Amy could answer, Sarah came storming through the bar and was heading straight for the door with Imogen trailing close behind. Amy yelled after them but neither of them turned around. She wasn't sure if they hadn't heard her over all the commotion or if they were just ignoring her.
"Can you hold that thought? That was a friend of mine and she seemed pissed." Amy said and slid out of the booth. "I'll be right back," she told Nick then chased after Sarah and Imogen as quickly as she could. She caught up with them right outside of the club. Sarah was trying to get a cab and Imogen was trying to talk her out of it.
"Sarah, is everything okay?" Amy asked.
"No." She replied. Her voice was shaking and Amy could see tears welling up in her eyes.
"What happened?" Amy asked. She didn't think Ella was hurt or Sarah would have just came to Amy instead of going outside to get a cab so Amy concluded Emma must have done or said something to upset Sarah. "Did something happen with Ella?"
The tears Sarah had been holding back started pouring out and she buried her face in her hands. Imogen angrily grabbed Amy's arm and drug her out of Sarah's earshot. "Amy, I know you were trying to help but just let me handle this." Imogen said in a low voice with her face only inches from Amy's.
Amy pulled her arm out of Imogen's grip and pulled away from her. "Fine," she said, annoyed that Imogen wouldn't just let her help. "At least tell me what happened then so I don't make the mistake of asking again."
"Sarah saw Ella with another girl," Imogen told her. "At first Sarah thought nothing of it but then she noticed that they were holding hands and standing close to each other. That bothered her but she didn't think it meant anything. She thought maybe the other girl was someone Ella knew. Then she kissed the other girl. Obviously she didn't know Sarah was there. So she found me and told me everything and now she wants to leave."
"I didn't do all this for her just so I could get fucked over," Sarah shouted. Imogen and Amy looked over at her just in time to see her climbing into a cab.
"Shit. Amy, find Ella and sort this out and meet us at Sarah's apartment as soon as you can." Imogen said then turned around to go after Sarah. She got to the cab and jumped inside just as the cab started to pull away. Amy sighed and turned to go back inside. Nick was waiting for her at the table with two glasses of red wine.
"Is everything alright?" he asked when Amy approached.
"No, I'm sorry. I have to go find my friend," she told them and started looking away. Nick grabbed her by the wrist and spun her back around.
"You'll never find her down there. It's packed. What's your friend's name?" Nick said.
"Ella Johnson." Amy told him skeptically. "Why?"
"I'll tell security and the other bartenders. That way when she shows her ID to leave or buy a drink, they'll just send her to us," Nick told Amy. He pulled his phone from his pocket and quickly typed out a text to someone she assumed was part of security then hit send and put his phone back in his jacket. "Why don't you have a drink with me while we wait? Unless you're in a rush of course." Nick offered.
"Sure," Amy said. She picked up the glass of wine closest to her and gulped it down.
"Sit down. I'll get you another." Nick said. Amy took her seat and Nick got up and went back behind the bar. While he was gone, Amy went over to the coat check station and asked for her coat. She hoped that her phone was in her pocket and she'd be able to text Emma and tell her they had to leave. The security guard asked for her ID then walked back to the closet to find her coat.
"Leaving so soon?" A voice behind her asked. Amy turned around to see Nick holding a new glass of wine for her.
"No, I'm just getting my coat to see if I brought my phone. Maybe if I text Emma she'll see it and I can find her." Amy told him. The security guard returned with her ID and her coat and handed them to her. She thanked him and walked back over to the table with Nick. She sat down and dug through the pocket of her coat with no luck. She must have left her phone at home after all. Amy sighed and pulled the glass of wine toward her and took a sip.
"No phone?" Nick asked sympathetically.
"No. I left the bloody thing at home," Amy said and mentally kicked herself for not listening to Rory.
"I have mine out in my car if you want to use it." Nick offered.
"If you don't mind," Amy said sheepishly.
"Not at all," he replied and gave her a soft smile. "You finish your drink, I'm going to go tell my manager that I have a quick emergency to deal with and then I'll be right back."
Amy nodded and sipped her wine. She scanned the room hoping Emma would realize that she was the only one downstairs and would come looking for the rest of the group. Amy was starting to grow impatient so she downed the last of the wine in her glass to settle her nerves. Nick returned a bit later with his coat on and offered her a hand. Amy took his hand and let him lead her through the crowd to the door but the more she walked, the more she noticed something was wrong. She starting feeling dizzy and when she looked through the crowd in hopes to spot Emma, she saw doubles of the faces looking back at her. She thought that maybe she had drank too much wine too quickly and when it stood up, the effects all rushed in. But she had only had a couple pints and a single shot before her two glasses of wine. That would be enough to make her tipsy but she felt completely past that.
"Where are you off to Nick?" A man's voice said as they got to the front door.
"Just escorting this young lady to find a cab, Gus. She's a had a bit too much," Nick replied. Gus nodded and opened the door for Nick and Amy. When they got outside, he helped her put on her coat then took her hand again and started leading her away from Opal.
"Where are we going?" Amy asked. Her words slurred together. It was next to impossible to make herself speak.
"To the car park. It's about a block away," Nick told her and continued to pull her along. He started picking up his speed and Amy was having a hard time keeping up without tripping over her own feet.
"Nick, slow down." She stammered out. Nick ignored her and kept pulling her. "Nick, I can't walk this fast right now," she told him again. This time, Nick turned around and pushed her up against a wall. The back of her head hit the wall first and made her vision go for a few seconds and her ears started to ring. Before Amy knew what was going on, Nick had his lips over hers. The weight of his body crushed her against the bricks of whatever building he had her against. Amy tried to push him off and get away but everything was disoriented around her. Suddenly she realized what was going on.
"You put something in my drink," Amy said when he pulled away from her. He smirked and said nothing. He grabbed her arm and started started pulling her along much more aggressive than he had before. A cab pulled up next to them and asked if they needed a ride. Nick quickly agreed then opened the door and forced Amy inside. He gave the cabbie an address and Amy tried desperately to call for help but she couldn't make any sounds come out. Everything in the cab started swirling around her and started to feel sick. As they started to drive away, Nick scooted closer to Amy and put his arm around her and brought her close to him.
"Put on a good show for the cabbie and things will be much better for you, Amy," he whispered harshly in to her ear. Amy felt tears start to roll down her face. This wasn't supposed to happen to her. She had moved to London to start over and have a better life. She was going to wait for the Doctor to come back. She was going to get married to Rory some day and start a family. She wasn't supposed to die before she was even twenty.
As the cab drove through London, Amy tried to think of some kind of getaway plan. If she tried to scream and draw attention to herself, there was no telling what Nick would to do her. She wouldn't be able to fight her way out of the cab in her state. Her only chance was to make a run for it. After the cab drove for what seemed like an eternity to Amy, came to a halt at a stoplight. Amy slid her hand up to the handle of the door and looked over at Nick who was busy looking at something on his phone. Gripping the handle tightly, she waited for the light to change then pushed hard on the door and fell out in to the street. She crawled over to a car parked on the side of the road and pulled herself up and looked around to try and get her bearings. She looked for the cab she and Nick were in, expecting it to come to a halt and for Nick to be chasing after her but it had kept driving and she could see Nick hanging out the back window, presumably looking for her. Amy looked up at the street signs and hoped that she was somewhere familiar. Lucky for her, her crash landing took place on Northumberland Street and Angelo's was only a block away.
Amy stumbled down the street as fast as she could. She could feel the effects of whatever Nick had drugged her with becoming stronger. It wouldn't be long before they would cause her to black out or knock her completely unconscious. Somehow she managed to make it to Angelo's front door before her legs gave out on her. She collapsed against the door and tried desperately to call for Angelo. She knew that he was usually there late but she had no idea if it was late enough that he had finally gone home. She slammed her hand against the front door one more time and mustered every bit of energy she had to call for Angelo before slipping in to darkness completely.
A sharp pain in her arm brought Amy back in to a hazy consciousness for a few seconds. She tried to opened her eyes but couldn't muster up the energy to. She could hear people talking all around her but she couldn't make out who the voices were.
"Shit!" One voice said. Amy forced her eyes open and tried to get them to focus on who was speaking.
"Amy, can you hear me?" Another voice said. She knew that voice. It was soft and warm. She knew she had only heard it a few times before but it was still so familiar and comforting.
"Doctor, is that you?" Amy forced out. Her eyes flickered from blurry form to blurry form trying to figure out who it was above her, hoping it was a ridiculous man wearing a bow-tie. The form came in to focus for a moment and after her slowed brain processed the dark curls and ice blue eyes, she realized it couldn't have been anyone else. "Sherlock?" she whispered and tried to hold off the blackness that wanted to engulf her. But she was no match for it and again she slipped back in to unconsciousness.
She weaved in and out of the darkness fog of her mind and the real world but it all blurred together. She could hear people talking but couldn't process what the words are or even be sure she wasn't just dreaming. She wasn't sure if she was in her flat or a hospital nor did she know who the voices she was hearing belonged to. Eventually she became too tired to keep guessing and let her mind stop.
Hours later, light flooded through Amy's eyelids and her senses began to start up again. She obviously wasn't dead and that in itself was something to celebrate. She didn't feel any excruciating pain so she didn't think she was badly injured but her head was pounding. She opened her eyes slowly to let them adjust to the light and looked down at herself. She was wearing a pair of navy blue pajama pants, a light blue t-shirt that was a bit too big on her and a silk dressing gown. One of her arms was bruised and the other had a plaster in the crease of her elbow. She pushed herself up and rested against the headboard of the unfamiliar bed she was in and looked around the unfamiliar room. Obviously she wasn't in a hospital and she was immensely thankful for that. But if she wasn't in a hospital room or her own flat, where was she?
Amy looked around the room for some indication of whose room she was in. The walls were a soft green in some places and covered in cream victorian looking wallpaper in other. There was a periodic table framed and hanging on the wall next to the door. The wall across from the bed had a bookshelf practically bursting at the seems pressed against it. On the wall adjacent to that there was another bookshelf, this one overflowed and had stacks of books around on of the floor. And next to that bookshelf was a figure sleeping in a chair. His head was resting against the wall and there was a book open and flipped upside down on his knee to hold the place. She squinted and looked closer at the sleeping person and could barely contain her smile when she realized who it was. In a chair the corner of the room with a medical journal still open in his lap, Sherlock Holmes was sleeping peacefully.