A/N: Hello, hello, hello! I bring you the gift of a shiny new chapter! And as this is chapter 5, I can confirm that this story will definitely be longer than it's prequel. (:
Also - Happy Valentine's Day for a few days ago my favourite people! :D Will't thou be mine? X3
Disclaimer: I did not receive the BBC for Valentine's Day like I was hoping to. So, I'm afraid, I still have no ownership.
Review Replies:
Dr-John-Holmes: Ooh isn't he just? ;D Thank you very much m'lovely! I will keep you waiting no longer… (:
A-Crystal-Nothing-More: :3 That is without doubt one of the nicest reviews I have ever had! I am so sorry I kept you up - but then again, evil as I am, I'm kind of proud ;) . You are seriously making me blush like a maniac, thank you so much! X3 Here you are - hope you like this one too! (:
Chalcedony Rivers: Ahahaa! Just when you think you've got the slash all figured out… I joke. That would be quite a twist though! XD (Resist the urge to sing the 'twisty' crimp. Resisttt.)
kawaiikittey: Smart!Rory is my favourite too ;) Thank you! Here you aree :D
Thisby Solo: Teehee - so naïve… N'aww, I love your comments, thanks very much! X3
nillamonster: Thank you! :D Enjoy!
It was the timely arrival of Lestrade that finally snapped John out of his half-panicked, half-relieved trance. The Detective Inspector stormed down the street, looking as though he was already severely pissed off. When he noticed the footprints, he turned and bellowed for an equally irate Sergeant Donovan.
He did a double take when he finally noticed the three strangers also wandering around the area.
"Oi!" He shouted down the length of the alley, "This is a crime scene, now bugger off unless you happen to either A) be responsible, or B) be a bloody policeman."
The Doctor looked sideways at Sherlock, and the taller man leant over and whispered "Detective Inspector Lestrade - he's the best of a bad lot, do try not to get on his bad side." The Doctor nodded seriously, and then jogged over to where Lestrade was currently interrogating a helpless and stuttering Rory and Amy.
"Ahh, Lestrade!" The Doctor shouted happily, "Nice to meet you." He said, kissing the air either side of his cheeks. Amy tried her absolute hardest not to laugh. (She failed.)
"Who the hell are you?" Lestrade questioned, "Is this some kind of joke? Sherlock! It's bad enough you bring John along, I can't allow you to just have normal civilians wandering around my crime scenes!"
The Doctor smiled and held up a piece of blank paper in a black leather wallet. Lestrade seemed to pale after reading it. "Oh, I'm so sorry" He stammered, backtracking, "I didn't realise."
"That's fine!" The Doctor announced, spinning around on his heels and walking back down to where there was a problem with the footprints. "You don't happen to have a spare evidence bag do you?"
"Here" Lestrade said, jogging after him and handing the Doctor the small clear bag. "Can I just ask - why is Cardiff interested in this?"
"What?" The Doctor asked, stopping on his way over to Sherlock, "What about Cardiff?"
John mused that he looked genuinely worried, and had actually paled significantly.
Lestrade frowned. "Well, that's where your ID said you're from, Superintendent."
"Oh, right. Of course - yes." The Doctor mumbled. "They aren't interested really, but I am, so I thought I'd pop along and help you out." He continued, bending down and filling the evidence bag with some of the strange ash-like substance the footprints were made up of.
"Right…" Lestrade said, clearly disbelieving. He shot John a questioning look, but the shorter man just shrugged and smiled apologetically.
"Got anything useful so far?" He asked, glancing to where Sherlock was still crouched down at the other end of the street.
"What?" The Doctor asked, straightening up. When he followed Lestrade's gaze he gave a little start and moved to block the DI's view.
"Nope. Nothing." He said quickly. A bit too quickly if Lestrade was honest. The Doctor continued haphazardly, "Nothing at all. Well, apart from the footprints. Who'd have thought it eh? Footprints as the only clue, a bit old fashioned! Haha! Where are you going?" He called, after the retreating back of the DI, voice increasingly high-pitched and panicked, "You can't go down there! Sherlock!"
"I can go wherever I like" Lestrade grumbled, stalking over to the detective. "It's my bloody case."
Sherlock looked slowly up at the approaching Inspector from his crouching position. "Ahh Lestrade" He greeted. "I see you've met the Doctor."
"Who? You mean that John Smith bloke?"Sherlock raised an eyebrow but nodded.
"Who the bloody hell does he think he is anyway?" Lestrade was ranting, "Just turning up and storming around my crime scene like he owns the place. Bet he's just here to cause trouble, get his name in the papers, or something." "I doubt that." Sherlock snorted, standing up. Then slowly and carefully scrubbed out the extra ash footstep at his feet. Lestrade was too busy ranting to notice. When he'd run out of insults, and breath, he looked down at the footsteps. Only two of them now.
"What've you got then?"
"I have a few ideas. But I'll need to get to the lab to fully test them." Sherlock said, straightening up and dusting off his hands. "I'll get back to you as soon as I have something that may be of use." Lestrade sighed, but nodded.
"Fine. But for God's sake…" He stopped, lowering his voice to a whisper, " don't bring that infuriating man with you again." He pointed to where the Doctor was measuring the distance between the footsteps by leaping between them; like some bizarre game of hopscotch.
Sherlock smiled slowly. "Fine."
…..
Back in the Tardis, The Doctor was busy feeding the ash into a tube that had risen out of the console. Rory and Amy were inspecting the photographs in a corner, and Sherlock and John were on speakerphone to Mycroft.
"Hello brother dear." Sherlock paused for a reply. "What gave you that impression? Can I not ring my own brother for a chat without wanting something?" John snickered at the buzzing that came from the phone. "Fair point." Sherlock conceded. "I was wondering if you could have the CCTV files for Baker Street last night sent over?"
"Please." John added, and Sherlock grimaced. There was a bit more noise from the phone, and then John nodded. "Thank you. We owe you one." Then the line went dead.
"What did you say that for?" Sherlock said, flinging his arms in the air. "Now he'll actually expect something from us!"
"Well, he has done us a massive favour Sherlock. And he's your brother - it shouldn't be such a hateful idea to help him with something."
"But he'll give us a boring case that'll take weeks to solve!"
"After all this I think I could do with a bit of boring normality, thanks." John sighed.
Sherlock inspected his face for a long moment before announcing; "We'll go on holiday."
John barked out a laugh. "Us? On holiday? Ha! You'd be bored within two minutes."
"We've been away before." Sherlock said, pouting.
"Yeah, but always for a case. Dartmoor doesn't count Sherlock. Holidays are supposed to be relaxing." John pointed out, folding his arms. "And somehow, I just can't imagine you sunbathing in swimming trunks." Amy laughed from the other corner, and Sherlock scowled.
"Oh come on, you can see my point." John grinned, arms out in a placated gesture. Sherlock seemed to be floundering for a response, something John was sure he'd never see again, before just giving up and sticking his tongue out at the shorter man before stalking away to quiz the Doctor.
"John!" Amy called, "Come and see your face in this photograph!"
"Oh God." John said, "I'm not sure I want to. I never photograph well, you should have seen the school photos…"
…..
"You never told me you worked with Cardiff." Sherlock frowned, from behind the Doctor where he had snuck up quietly.
"What?" The Doctor jumped, "I don't." He narrowed his eyes, and gazed at Sherlock challengingly, "What makes you ask that?"
"Your ID says you do." Sherlock pointed out.
"Oh" The Doctor sighed, and all the tension seemed to flood from his shoulders, until he got the gangly ten year old that Sherlock had started to associate him with. " Now this, this is really clever." The Doctor smiled, fishing his black wallet out of his inner jacket pocket. "Watch this. I am an ice-cream man!" He shouted, and in the corner, Rory jumped.
When the Doctor showed Sherlock the ID card, the detective gasped. "How does it work?"
"Psychic paper." The Doctor said, proudly. "It knows what people are expecting, or want, to see, and then gives me the right ID for the job."
"So, that could say anything?" Sherlock sounded impressed.
"Of course! Well, nearly anything. I did once have a problem with it when I was trying to baby-sit. But apart from that, it works a charm." He smiled, placed the wallet back in his jacket, walked off again to read the results of the tests on the ash, and missed Sherlock's frankly mischievous grin.
…..
The Doctor studied the test results he'd got from the ash again; there would be no point in worrying everyone unnecessarily.
But unfortunately they remained the same.
Results:
Unknown signature.
Seen before: In Tardis. Year 2011.
Scanning… Please Wait…
Two species of signature on board.
Tardis Status: Stationary.
The ash footprints, would appear to have been made… by Sherlock and John?
…..
Mrs Hudson glanced around the cold, grey room in confusion - 221C, she was sure. Well, she recognised the damp. How strange - she could've sworn she'd been stood in her kitchen only moments before… But that was just plain silly. No one could just disappear from one place and end up in another - that wasn't how the world worked.
Mind you, when you live with Sherlock Holmes, the world begins to seem a lot less safe and predictable than you first thought.
A shadow across the bare wall alerted Mrs Hudson to a presence in the doorway, and she spun around to find Sherlock leant on the doorframe, eyes closed, arms folded, and looking for all the world as if there was nothing out of the ordinary about the situation.
"Sherlock?", Mrs Hudson asked, hesitantly. "What on Earth is going on?" #
Something - call it instinct - told her that she should proceed carefully, and so she refrained from bustling past him as she would normally. The cold was getting to her a bit; she should've brought a cardigan or something. She sighed, rubbing her hands over her bare arms.
She stopped worrying about the temperature when Sherlock opened his eyes, and turned to smile at her.
His purple eyes.
"Now Mrs Hudson" he laughed, slowly, agonisingly, "Tell me about yourself."
A/N: I love all of you who have added this to their favourites/story alerts, and I love all of you who have reviewed. Please continue to do so my lovely peeps! (: X3